Cast and Wrought Iron Fence c. 1936

Arelia Arbo, who lived a long life, created this drawing of a cast and wrought iron fence with brown wash on paper. The colour palette is very limited, almost monotone, giving the impression of a sketch or preparatory study. Look at how Arbo captures the texture of the iron. She makes the gate almost life-size, right? You can imagine standing in front of it, maybe reaching out to touch the cool metal. The linework feels deliberate and yet spontaneous, you can almost feel the artist testing the edges of the shapes. The details are so lovingly rendered, each little curlicue and flourish given its due. But then, Arbo leaves so much unsaid, so much of the paper blank. The cross at the top is especially nice – it’s ornate, but also a little wonky, like a folk art version of a religious symbol. Her contemporary, Joseph Stella, also had a similar interest in industrial forms; both artists, in their own way, found beauty in the overlooked details of the built environment. It goes to show that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places.