Dressing Glass c. 1936

Lorenz Rothkranz made this drawing of a dressing glass, and although it is not dated, the artist lived between 1855 and 1995. Look at the way the shapes and lines gently define the structure of the furniture, the slight undulations in the rendering of the wood grain, and the soft gradations of the mirror. Rothkranz has taken his time. I can imagine him sitting, observing this dressing table, considering each line, each plane, and how the shadows sit on the surface. What was he thinking about as he looked at the object and translated it onto paper? I bet Rothkranz thought about other artists while he made this work, or other furniture makers whose designs might have lingered in his mind. Because making is always about thinking with and against others, and about the conversation that extends across time and space. The act of rendering an object or scene is an invitation to observe and respond to the world in new ways, expanding our capacity for empathy, imagination, and self-discovery.