Weather Vane c. 1939

This weather vane rendering in pencil on paper was made by Bernard Westmacott. I like to think about what the artist was like when they made a drawing like this. How they were feeling. Where they were sitting. I'm guessing Westmacott sat, squinting at the object, maybe mumbling to himself as he tried to capture the essence of the rooster's form. It is a reductive drawing, where each line seems essential to the next. Look at the head: the artist has captured the bird's beady eye and ruffled feathers with delicate strokes. Then look at the tail. The tail feathers are rendered with broader, more confident lines, suggesting the movement and direction of the wind. Westmacott is speaking the language of observation, and in this simple drawing, he's also showing us how to really see.