Schoen van roodbruin slangenleer met een tong van bruin suède met een geregen en gestrikte leren veter c. 1930 - 1940

These shoes of reddish-brown snakeskin with a brown suede tongue and laced leather cord were made by A. van Goethem. The rich, warm palette feels like something you'd find in a painting. I can almost feel the texture of the snakeskin and suede. The way the light catches those scales makes the surface almost alive. You can see the maker's hand in the way these different materials are combined: the juxtaposition of the scales with the softness of the suede. The laces, neatly tied, add a touch of formality. It reminds me a little of Man Ray, actually. Like his readymades, these shoes are elevated, transforming the everyday into something else entirely, shifting function into pure form, blurring the line between art and life. It's this sense of playful transformation that really grabs me.