Gridiron c. 1939

Maurice Van Felix made this drawing of a gridiron with graphite on paper. The careful shading gives it a wonderful three-dimensional feel. You can almost pick it up and feel its weight. It makes me think about the simple beauty of everyday objects, the kind we don’t usually pay attention to. I can imagine Van Felix, sitting down with this gridiron, carefully observing every curve and line. What was he thinking as he rendered it? Was he enjoying the quiet focus, the way the light played across the metal? The cool, dark grays and browns of the graphite create a sense of calm, a quiet hum of attention. It reminds me of the drawings of Giorgio Morandi, who also found endless inspiration in humble objects. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can become so interesting when we really look at it? Artists, we are always in conversation.