Silver Cup 1935 - 1942

Isidore Steinberg made this ‘Silver Cup’ using graphite on paper. Look at how Steinberg uses the graphite, building up delicate, silvery gradients. The way he’s captured the light reflecting off the cup’s surface, it's almost photographic, but softer, more intimate. It feels like he's trying to understand the cup, not just represent it. I keep coming back to the subtle dents and imperfections on the cup’s surface. They tell a story, don't they? The slight irregularities introduce a sense of time and use. It reminds me how the act of drawing, like life, is full of small imperfections. It's in those quirks that the real beauty lies. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi and his still life arrangements, that quiet observation of everyday objects. But where Morandi uses muted colour, Steinberg finds depth and complexity in the interplay of light and shadow.