Silver Mug c. 1936

Henry Granet made this drawing of a silver mug at an unknown date, using what looks like graphite on paper. It’s interesting how Granet uses the graphite, layering it to build up the tone and volume of the mug. You can see the individual strokes, like soft whispers, especially in the way he renders the light reflecting off the surface. The mug has this quiet sheen, achieved through delicate gradations of light and shadow. It’s about the process of looking and translating, isn't it? And Granet seems to relish that process. The smaller inscription next to the mug adds another layer, like a footnote, an echo. This drawing reminds me a little of Morandi, that Italian painter who spent his life painting bottles. It’s about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and about the slow, meditative process of artmaking. It’s not just about the object, but about how we see, how we feel, how we connect. Granet reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, an embrace of ambiguity, always open to new interpretations.