Shoe Last 1938

This drawing of a Shoe Last was made by George Bobholz; I wonder, was it made from observation? It’s such a beautifully observed form, this object which is both familiar and abstract. You know, sometimes painting an everyday object can be a way of slowing down time, asking us to consider the history of production, and our place in it. I imagine Bobholz looking intently, his eyes following the curves and hollows of the last, trying to capture its essence on paper. The monochromatic palette gives it this timeless quality, like a memory fading into sepia. I feel a sense of empathy with him, this man painting an object that makes other objects. The whole history of art is, in some ways, a conversation between artists, each building upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before. This drawing is just one small part of that ongoing dialogue, a testament to the enduring power of art to connect us across time and space.