Pewter Coffee Urn 1935 - 1942

Theodore Pfitzer made this drawing of a Pewter Coffee Urn sometime in the first half of the twentieth century using graphite and colored pencil. Looking closely, you can see the careful, almost meditative process Pfitzer used to build up the form. It’s all in the hatching – those tiny, parallel lines that give the urn its volume and sense of light. Notice how the graphite is layered, darker in the shadows, lighter where the light catches the metal. There's also this subtle warmth in the gray, achieved with delicate touches of colored pencil. It gives the metal a soft, inviting glow. The handle is beautifully rendered, with its elegant curve and subtle highlights. It’s these details that elevate the drawing beyond a simple study. It reminds me a little of Morandi, with his simple, everyday objects imbued with a sense of quiet beauty. In the end, it's not just about the object itself, but about the act of seeing and representing it.