Inkwell c. 1940

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Inkwell," a pencil drawing dating back to around 1940 by Frank Fumagalli. It’s a small study in realism. Editor: My first impression is this drawing feels both sturdy and solitary. The inkwell looks very substantial, even a bit stubborn sitting there on the page, all by itself. Curator: It's a classic example of academic art, focused on precise representation and technical skill. I'm particularly interested in how the material – graphite – and technique serve to depict a common, yet often overlooked, tool. Consider the process: Fumagalli carefully builds tone with countless strokes to render the surface and form. Editor: Right. It feels meditative. I get a real sense of Fumagalli's observation and concentration. I imagine him closely studying how light reflects off the inkwell's surface and mimicking its carved lines using his pencil. And even the paper adds something – its age makes the subject feel old, steeped in the past. It is so detailed that, I can almost smell the ink. Curator: Indeed. The choice of depicting something functional is noteworthy. We can think about this drawing as situated in a tradition of studio exercises, or, conversely, consider how elevating such an object grants importance to the labour of writing and artistic production that it enables. Editor: Well, it also seems slightly romantic. There's a certain nostalgia evoked by the object itself, isn’t there? A lost era of penmanship and thoughtful correspondence, replaced by our keyboards and screens. Curator: Precisely, our present understanding of communication differs from when inkwells held significance, where calligraphy held precedence over crude or hasty writing. This detailed, material engagement invites the viewer to consider that history. Editor: This tiny portal, really, through which great and profound literature once passed! Curator: So, we find in this subtle drawing an attention to material processes linked to broader issues of artistic production, craftsmanship, and even modes of historical communication. Editor: I think I'll stick with portal, that works for me! I really like this small ode to creativity and craftmanship.