Ticket Punch c. 1938

H. Langden Brown rendered these ticket punches with pencil and colored pencil. Just imagine the artist gently coaxing this intricate object into being on the page, building the image from delicate lines and shadows. I feel like Brown is inviting us to really look, to meditate on the mundane. The way he repeats the motif, one rendered, the other spectral, makes me think about the ghost in the machine or the memory of an action. What a great subject to pick, and such a beautiful way to honor the humble tools of everyday life. The work feels of its time, yet it also chimes with the work of contemporary artists who explore the intersection of objecthood and representation. In the end, isn't every artist kind of punching a ticket, making their mark on the world?