Wayne Thiebaud (b. 1920)

"The strongly formal quality of Thiebaud's organization of shape is also revealed in many of his graphic works, especially his black and white wash drawing. In the wash drawing of pieces of cherry-topped cake, his formal build-up of geometric shapes can be clearly observed; the wedges of cake are triangular, the shadows rectangular and the plates circular. Moreover, an ability to poise just the right quantity of black against white in his etchings and wash drawings allows him not only to enhance the whiteness of the paper, but to saturate these works with a high-keyed light and bring into play a crisp figure/ground flux."

(John Coplans, Wayne Thiebaud, Pasadena Art Museum, 1968, p. 16)