Trivet c. 1941

This drawing of a trivet was made by Helen Hobart, sometime between 1855 and 1995. It is graphite on paper. I really like the idea of drawing something like this, the kind of object that’s so humble, and you can find in any kitchen. I'm thinking about the artist, Helen Hobart, and about her drawing practice. Was she interested in how things are made? Was she precise or intuitive? The image contains a top-down view of the trivet and another three-quarter view below. I imagine she may have rotated the trivet slowly on a table, carefully observing the change in perspective and light, and capturing the essence of the object on paper. The lines are delicate but they seem to have so much weight. There is a tenderness to how she describes the object, and that transfers to us as viewers. It makes me think about art and craft, about functional objects that are also beautiful. It’s a kind of slow looking and quiet contemplation that I really admire.