I Heart Design

no. 60

SELECTED BYGEORGE TSCHERNYPOLAR BEAR (1928)DESIGNED BYISAMU NOGUCHI

We are all familiar with the work of Isamu Noguchi (1904–1986): his lamps, gardens, playgrounds, the “amoeba” coffee table, stage sets for Martha Graham, and most of all his sculpture. Therefore, I was startled to encounter this early drawing of a polar bear.

I would have expected Noguchi to use a sculptural approach in his drawings, where line is piled upon line to create volume and bulk. Instead, we have here a king of visual shorthand—the contour of a bear, an eloquent line direct in its pursuit of clarity. A quick gesture that has no time for mannerisms and is devoid of detail.

Needless to say, all art evolves from somewhere. Here, there are links to faces in Matisse, ...