Enameled Pewter Beaker c. 1937

This drawing of an enameled pewter beaker was made by Harry Goodman. I can see his hand in the rendering of the leaves, the pressure of the pencil imbuing the object with depth and form. I wonder what Goodman was thinking, what he might have been feeling as he put pencil to paper. Maybe he had this object in his house, sat with it, and admired its form before deciding to draw it. Or perhaps it was in a museum collection, carefully lit in a glass case. What strikes me is that circular wreath with its detailed leaves. It’s so exact, so delicately drawn. It's as if it's the most important part. In this drawing, Goodman's really thought about the nature of observation, the nature of the surface, how light falls, and how we perceive the world. And that makes the work incredibly generous. It’s a quiet conversation that we’re invited into, where slow looking is valued over immediate understanding.