Wrought Iron Balcony Rail c. 1936

Arelia Arbo made this drawing of a Wrought Iron Balcony Rail, though we don't know exactly when, using what looks like graphite on paper. The marks are fine and controlled but they build up to create areas of dark shadow which gives a real sense of depth to the architectural details. What I find compelling here is the material reality of the balcony railing and the way Arbo has given it almost as much attention as the building itself. Look at the variety of tones she’s achieved with just a pencil. The soft, smudged shading on the walls contrasts with the crisp, precise lines of the ironwork. It’s almost tactile, like you could reach out and feel the cool metal. The way the light catches the edges of the railing, creating these tiny highlights, is just wonderful. You could relate this approach to the work of Giorgio Morandi and his still lifes of bottles. Both artists take very humble subject matter and transform them through dedicated looking and mark making. Neither is interested in grand narratives, but find something beautiful in the everyday.