Andiron (one of pair) c. 1939

This is a drawing of an andiron, by Maurice Van Felix. I love the tonal range that Felix has achieved with a simple monochrome palette, the graphite almost looks like a photograph! You can see the artist figuring something out through the process of making, with the lines and shading carefully built up to describe a three-dimensional object. I love how he has focused on the material aspects of the work. The andiron is heavy and solid, and the drawing emphasises this. Look at the stippling effect on the surface, and the way the lines curve to suggest the cylindrical form of the legs. The graphite rendering is so precise, so that every little pit and dent in the metal's surface becomes visible. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings in its close attention to the mundane, everyday object. Both artists take the simplest of forms and elevate it through observation, creating an ongoing conversation across time. What does it mean to draw fire furniture in grey? There's no right answer, and that's ok.