Bracelet c. 1939

Frank Fumagalli made this drawing of a bracelet with watercolour on paper at an unknown date. There’s an attentiveness in the rendering; soft washes of colour have been built up gradually to create a sense of depth and form in this image. The colour is translucent, glowing almost, and the paper shines through. You can see how the artist has meticulously described the minute details of the buckle and strap. Look at the way the light glistens on the burnished surfaces, and the subtle tonal variations within the metal and leather. The effect is mesmerizing, pulling you in. The artist has captured the intimate textures, and the soft patina of well-worn leather and tarnished metal. There’s a strange, but pleasing, similarity between the meticulous precision of Fumagalli’s process, and the almost manic, visionary style of Charles Burchfield. Ultimately art is about embracing uncertainty, and acknowledging that there are many ways of seeing the world.