Desk Box c. 1937

Joseph Rothenberg made this drawing of a desk box with what looks like watercolor or colored pencil, and it’s a tender take on the everyday. I can imagine him sitting with the object in front of him, carefully building up the tone and texture of the wood with delicate strokes. Look at the side of the box: he's captured the light hitting its surface just so. The carving on the front has an almost folk-art quality. It's not quite symmetrical, and that's what makes it interesting. I wonder what Rothenberg was thinking about when he made this? Maybe it was a cherished object. Or perhaps it was an exercise in observation, trying to capture the subtle nuances of light and shadow on a simple wooden box. To me, this drawing speaks to the quiet beauty of the mundane and the pleasure of looking closely at the world around us.