Candlestick c. 1938

Mary Fitzgerald made this drawing of a candlestick at an unknown date, using what looks like watercolor on paper. The way she’s laid out the parts makes me think of technical drawings, the kind you see in old encyclopedias. The palette is so simple, just slight variations of gold and brown. It’s like she’s really studying how light hits the object, figuring out how to turn a three-dimensional thing into a two-dimensional image. There are no dramatic shadows, just these subtle shifts that give everything shape. Look at how she’s handled the circular base on the left. The lines aren’t perfect, and the color varies, but that’s what makes it feel so real and solid. It reminds me of how Morandi painted bottles, over and over, each time trying to capture something a little different. It’s not about perfection, it’s about process.