Center Table, with Marble Top c. 1937

This drawing of a center table with a marble top was made by Dana Bartlett, sometime in the early to mid 20th century, using graphite and watercolor on paper. I find myself drawn to the way the marble top is rendered. It’s not trying to trick you into thinking it’s actually marble; rather, it presents a shorthand, a code for marble. There's a real joy in the way the artist uses the materials, seemingly unconcerned with a perfect representation, and more interested in the sheer pleasure of the mark-making itself. The grain of the wood is carefully and playfully described, but there's a looseness too. It reminds me of some of the object studies made by Philip Guston in the late 60s, simple everyday objects, rendered with a similar blend of care and irreverence. And, like Guston, Bartlett seems to be winking at us, inviting us to reconsider the beauty and strangeness of the everyday. It's a reminder that art isn't about answers, but about opening up possibilities.