Locket c. 1936

Vincent Murphy made this drawing of a locket, sometime between the late 1800s and 1995. It's made with graphite and watercolor, a really beautiful combination of precision and fluidity. I imagine Murphy hunched over his desk, carefully mapping out the intricate details of this golden object. There's a smaller version of the locket as well, and I wonder if this was an early idea, a trial run, or if Murphy was just seeing how much smaller he could make it. The color palette is warm and metallic, all soft golds and browns that give the piece a sense of age and value. The watercolor gives it a luminosity that graphite alone wouldn't. The surface has a gentle sheen, like light reflecting off polished metal. This drawing reminds me of the kind of close looking we find in the work of Vija Celmins, but also the warm tones of a Gerhard Richter. It really feels like a conversation across time, doesn’t it?