Pewter Porringer c. 1936

A. Zaidenberg made this drawing of a pewter porringer, we don’t know when, but it’s a delicate dance between the object itself and its representation. I find myself wondering about the process. Look at how the shading gives form to the bowl, the almost imperceptible gradations that create depth. It's like Zaidenberg is coaxing the metal into existence on paper. Pencil drawings have this magical quality, don't they? The medium itself is so simple, yet capable of such nuance. I think of artists like Vija Celmins, who also use graphite to capture the subtle play of light on surfaces. And that tiny diagram in the corner – it's like a secret code, a key to understanding the object’s dimensions. It reminds me that art is also about information, about seeing and knowing in different ways. Art making is an ongoing conversation, a way of thinking through things.