Desk Box c. 1937

Joseph Rothenberg made this "Desk Box" drawing with what looks like watercolor, and maybe pencil. I love the way he's working with browns. It's like he’s interested in the idea of box-ness, not the thing itself. Look at the side of the box – you can almost feel the grain of the wood, those tiny little lines creating texture and depth. Then there are these decorative carvings that have this almost child-like quality. The whole piece feels really tactile. The way he used colour here is really interesting. It's not about realism, but more about a feeling, a memory of a box. This makes me think of Forrest Bess, another artist who wasn't concerned with accuracy but with something more internal, more felt. It's like Rothenberg is having a conversation with himself through this drawing, inviting us to listen in, and maybe even start our own conversation. Art is communication, right?