Candlestick c. 1936

Sidney Liswood made this drawing of a candlestick, with graphite on paper. The tonal gradations feel so subtle, you can almost hear the quiet scratch of the pencil moving back and forth, gently coaxing form out of a flat surface. I imagine Liswood hunched over a desk, perhaps late at night, the only light source being the very object he’s drawing. There's a top-down view in the corner. It’s like Liswood is saying, "Look, I see this object from all angles." This drawing reminds me of those exercises we did as kids, trying to copy objects, and it makes me think about how drawing is about seeing. It encourages us to really, truly observe. I mean, we're all constantly looking, but drawing is looking in a different way, drawing is about seeing and feeling what it is like to be inside the world. It's like Liswood is inviting us to experience the quiet concentration of seeing.