Silver Dish c. 1936

Clayton Braun made this drawing of a silver dish, and it's all about subtle gradations of gray, built up in a careful act of looking. I can imagine Braun sitting with the dish, turning it slowly in the light to capture the delicate play of reflections. You know, there's something deeply meditative in that kind of sustained observation. A focus on the subtle curves and the way light defines form. It feels like a dance between the artist's eye, hand, and the object itself, a quiet conversation. What’s so captivating here is the way Braun coaxes volume and presence out of such simple means. Think of Giorgio Morandi, who spent his whole career drawing or painting bottles. It's like Braun is inviting us to contemplate not just the object, but the act of seeing itself, and how artists are always looking at what came before, and trying to figure it all out.