Silver Creamer 1935 - 1942

Francis Law Durand made this drawing of a silver creamer, and you can see the multiple views he made to understand the object in its totality. I’m really drawn to the texture in this piece. Look at the shading on the body of the creamer, how Durand coaxes the graphite to mimic the reflective surface of the metal. You can almost feel the cool smoothness of the silver! I can imagine Durand, bending over the page, squinting at the object, trying to capture its essence. The repetition of the braided band around the middle must have been very satisfying, a bit like knitting in its rhythmic activity. He probably wasn't thinking about the end result so much as being totally immersed in the process. When an artist lets go of the outcome, that's when the magic happens.