Lamp c. 1940

This is Frank Fumagalli’s pencil drawing, "Lamp," and what strikes me is the intimacy of the sketch. It's like he’s trying to capture not just the shape, but the very essence of light itself, playing with the subtle gradations of gray to mimic the way light dances on the glass. Fumagalli isn't just rendering an object; he's investigating how light defines form. The transparency of the glass is almost palpable through the delicate pencil strokes. Look at the way he’s handled the handle – such a simple, almost scribbled form, yet it conveys so much about the object’s function and feel. There’s a sense of immediacy here, like he’s trying to capture the fleeting moment before the light shifts. It reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, in the way he found endless inspiration in humble, everyday objects, elevating them to something profound through close observation and subtle manipulation of tone. Art, after all, is just one long, ongoing conversation.