Table (Drop-leaf) c. 1936

Bernard Gussow made this drawing of a table, we don’t know when, with what looks like pencil and maybe some watercolor. The whole thing is rendered in these warm, reddish-brown tones, and the whole effect is kind of like a memory. You can see the artist really focusing in on the structure and form. Look at the way he's detailed the legs, breaking them down into their component parts. And notice the way the grain of the wood on the tabletop is carefully described. It's like he's trying to understand how the table is put together, not just what it looks like. The lines are delicate, almost tentative, like he's feeling his way around the object. It reminds me of some of Agnes Martin’s more architectural works, but with a softer, more domestic feel. Ultimately, this is an intimate and thoughtful portrait of a very ordinary object. And it suggests how much beauty can be found in the everyday if we just take the time to look closely.