Silver Spout Cup c. 1938

Palmyra Pimentel made this drawing of a silver spout cup, we don’t know when, but it’s rendered in pencil on paper. Look at the way she’s built up the tonal range in such a subtle way, almost caressing the paper with the pencil, to create this burnished, silver-like effect. The drawing itself feels almost like a memory of a thing. The handle is really beautiful, isn’t it? Like a soft looping scroll. Pimentel’s really observed how the light catches on that curving surface. The spout is slightly off-kilter, almost drooping, giving the whole thing a sense of being lovingly worn. The piece breathes and feels more like an intimate portrait than a straightforward depiction. The way Pimentel approaches her subject matter reminds me of some of Giorgio Morandi’s still life paintings, where everyday objects are imbued with a quiet, contemplative presence. Art’s always a conversation, isn’t it? A way of seeing, thinking, and feeling that gets passed down, transformed, and renewed.