Silver Spoon 1935 - 1942

Nicholas Zupa made this drawing of spoons at the City Museum of New York, January 6, 1936. You can almost feel the artist studying those everyday utensils, trying to capture their form with delicate graphite marks. I wonder what he was thinking, sitting there with his pencil and paper? Maybe he was drawn to the way light plays on the surface of the metal, or the simple elegance of their design. Each mark seems considered, carefully building up the tone and shape. Look at the shadows that give the spoons weight and presence. It reminds me of Morandi, finding profound beauty in the humblest of objects. These spoons are not just functional items; they are vessels of memory and history. And by drawing them, Zupa invites us to see them anew.