Garden Ornament (Greyhound) c. 1939

George Constantine made this drawing of a garden ornament, a greyhound, using watercolor and graphite. The way Constantine captures light is interesting. See how it glances off the greyhound’s form? It’s almost photographic. The surface has this smooth, continuous tone in greyscale. No single mark stands out, which makes me think about control, of holding back. I keep looking at the little wisps and flicks of white which give the hound its sheen. It looks like the surface is almost breathing. The base is painted in blocks of green, like an after thought. It gives the artwork a very solid, grounded feel. I’m reminded of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings. Although he worked with muted tones and simple subjects, Morandi wrung endless possibilities from his chosen subjects, proving that art is less about the ‘what’ and more about the ‘how.’ Constantine's drawing leaves us with a sense of quiet contemplation.