Silver Teapot c. 1935

Hester Duany made this Silver Teapot on paper with graphite. The drawing has an open quality, the kind of thing you find when someone is exploring an idea or a technique. It’s like she's thinking aloud with her pencil. The shading on the teapot has this wonderful metallic gleam. You can almost feel the cool, smooth surface. But then, look at the handle, it's a dark, solid mass. The contrast is so striking, almost like a visual puzzle. The way she’s included the smaller sketch of the teapot in the corner, it's like she's showing us her working process. It’s a bit like the silverpoints of an artist like Dürer, but with a contemporary feel. This piece is an intimate look into the mind of an artist, caught in the act of seeing and understanding.