Silver Spoon c. 1936

Charlotte Winter’s drawing, simply titled 'Silver Spoon,' is a study in graphite on paper. I wonder about Charlotte and how she made this; I imagine her, so precise and focused, her eyes really close to the spoon to capture every little detail. I can almost feel the weight of the utensil in my own hand. See how the light seems to bounce off the polished metal. I love the little addition of what looks like an inscription on the handle, as well as the technical drawing at the bottom of the page. There’s a real tension between the functional aspect of the spoon and the beauty of its form. It reminds me of some of the drafting studies made by painters like Jasper Johns; an exploration of everyday objects and humble materials. What do these objects mean to us? Charlotte might have been thinking about what it means to design and depict something functional, elevating it to an object of aesthetic contemplation. This conversation between artists across time makes me consider that artists are always exchanging ideas, inspiring one another’s creativity and vision.