Delaware Avenue c. 1930

This image, Delaware Avenue, by Theo Ballou White, shows us a graphite rendering of a ship docked in what I can only imagine is Delaware. Look how the graphite is applied; areas of the sky and water are filled in with hatching that speaks to art making as an act of pure, physical labor. The softness of the rendering is contrasted with the hard lines of the boat. Notice how the smokestacks in the background mimic the shape of the boat's masts. The texture created by the graphite suggests a somber mood. The way White uses a single medium to evoke a sense of depth and atmosphere reminds me a little of the work of Charles Burchfield; they share a talent for finding beauty in the mundane, emphasizing texture and form to create meaning. Ultimately, it's this blending of hard and soft, light and dark, that makes the picture so interesting to look at.