Cup c. 1936

Joseph Sudek made this drawing of a cup with, I’m guessing, pencil and watercolor. It's a simple subject, but the way he's approached it feels so tender, almost like a love letter to the everyday. The washes of color are thin and transparent, giving the cup a delicate, almost ethereal quality. You can see the paper underneath, which makes the whole thing feel very immediate, like a quick sketch dashed off in a moment of quiet contemplation. The smaller cup below, it’s like a echo, or a memory. There’s something so intimate about the way Sudek has captured this cup, it reminds me of Morandi, finding endless possibilities within the humble still life. This drawing feels like an invitation to slow down, to really look at the things around us, and to find beauty in the simplest of forms. It’s a reminder that art isn’t always about grand gestures, sometimes it’s about paying attention.