Fire Tongs and Shovel c. 1937

Hans Korsch created "Fire Tongs and Shovel" with an unknown medium; I am thinking watercolor or colored pencil, which is pretty unusual for a still life of implements. The choice of an everyday object makes the piece feel grounded. You can really see Korsch's hand in the details, like the cross-hatching on the shovel and the way the gold leaf glows on the handles. I love the way the artist seems to be drawing attention to a functional object, in a very loving way; its a celebration of design. The scale at the bottom of the work is interesting too, he is showing us how this object relates to the body, how we use it. It reminds me a little of some of the drawings of Hilla and Bernd Becher, but more folksy. What connects them is this sense of wanting to carefully observe the world and its creations.