Card Table c. 1939

Leo Drozdoff created this study of a card table with pencil and watercolor, although we don’t know exactly when. I love how this rendering is both precise and free. Look at the surface – Drozdoff used thin washes to build up the form, letting the color pool and settle in some areas, while leaving others almost bare. You can see the grain of the paper beneath. The detailing on the legs is so exact, but then there’s this looseness around the edges that lets the table almost float on the page. The precision in the rendering contrasts the airy feeling of the piece, so the table is there but not really there. It reminds me a little of some of Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes, with their muted tones and quiet contemplation. Ultimately, this piece shows that art isn't just about capturing something perfectly, but also about the feeling and the process. It’s an invitation to see and feel in new ways, to find the beauty in the everyday, and to recognize that there's always more than one way to look at things.