Gold Ring c. 1936

Curator: It’s my pleasure to introduce “Gold Ring,” a pencil drawing made around 1936 by Frank Nelson. Three distinct rings are centered, depicted against a cream-colored backdrop. Editor: These renderings have such a subdued presence; it's like the very essence of jewelry, stripped of the tactile richness of metalwork. What’s compelling is the level of detail and form the artist achieves with only pencil on paper. Curator: Nelson really highlights the structure of the rings using light and shadow to convey volume. The varying ring forms suggest explorations of symmetry and how a signet and setting interlock with the simple band. Note, how the upper left example appears engraved—do you observe a heraldic signifier? Editor: Precisely! You've touched on the question of labor embedded here. Pencil work involves precise, repetitive movements; like drawing wire to create each individual ring, the value lies in the skillful process of handiwork and this subtle medium. The rings could stand for many things, their symbolism seems endless. Curator: Yes! Nelson reduces it to its purest geometry: circle meeting form; such basic and perfect geometry in contrast with imperfect mark-making gives them meaning far beyond just their use as adornments. It all comes down to shape: function and status merge here where form elevates the mundane, in these simple shapes. Editor: I completely agree; Frank Nelson focuses on isolating individual rings against a stark, uniform backdrop makes one think more directly not just on the art making involved but the making of wealth through objects: simple rendering but conceptually layered art production. This pushes against notions that jewelry holds inherent artistic value; labor and human choices shape everything. Curator: Thank you. Looking more carefully together reveals both the material realities and artistic achievements that reside even in this subtle still life by Frank Nelson. Editor: Absolutely.