Cab or Cabriole c. 1936

Fred Weiss made this drawing, Cab or Cabriole, sometime in the 20th century, with what looks like pencil or ink. The subtle gradations of tone create a muted, almost ghostly image. It reminds me that artmaking is a process of revealing and concealing, kind of like life, right? Take a look at how Weiss renders the wheels. The thin, precise lines create a delicate, almost fragile structure. You can almost feel the bumps in the road as you look at it! The whole drawing has this incredible texture to it. It's like Weiss is letting us in on the secret of how things are made. He’s not trying to hide the evidence of his hand; instead, he celebrates it. Weiss's drawing is in conversation with the precisionist drawings of Charles Sheeler, but with a more personal, idiosyncratic touch. Ultimately, what's so great about art is that it embraces ambiguity. There's no one right way to see it.