Silver Communion Cup 1935 - 1942

Ella Josephine Sterling made this drawing of a silver communion cup with graphite on paper. Look at the reflections in the cup, the way the light softly wraps around the curves and edges. The pencil work here is subtle but so descriptive. Sterling coaxes a sense of weight and form out of what is, essentially, just light and shadow. See how she uses darker lines to define the edges and then softer shading to create the illusion of depth. It’s almost like she's sculpting with her pencil. The inscription "Christ Church, Georgetown" tells us something about the cups significance. It’s not just any cup, it’s a vessel for communion, a sacred object. The way Sterling draws the cup, she seems to acknowledge this significance. It reminds me a bit of Giorgio Morandi's still lifes, which also found significance in quiet unassuming objects. In the end, all art is a conversation, an echo of past artists and ideas.