Lantern c. 1938

Filippo Porreca made this drawing of a lantern, it has a simplicity to its style, like a technical drawing, but with a delicate touch. Look closely and you can see a tension between the object’s function and the decorative elements. The marks are tight, controlled, but almost obsessive in their repetition. The diagonal hatching, which runs down the curved body of the lantern, creates a visual rhythm. You can almost feel Porreca, lost in the act of drawing each individual stroke, building up the form through careful accumulation. This feels connected to the work of artists like Agnes Martin, where simple forms are made beautiful through repetition. It's in these small details, the artist's hand, where you find the magic. It gives the object an unexpected beauty, inviting us to see the ordinary in a new light.