Log Marker 1935 - 1942

William Frank made this Log Marker with paint on paper and, looking at it, I'm thinking about the way paintings can be a record of a process. The subject here is an axe head, which is presented in very clear, descriptive terms. The paint is thin, almost translucent, allowing the paper to breathe through, giving it a slightly weathered look. This adds to the sense of the axe’s age and the hard work it has done. The artist pays close attention to the play of light on the metal, capturing the way it reflects and absorbs light. See how the small 'X' shaped marking on the butt of the axe catches a highlight on one side. This drawing is reminiscent of the work of Charles Sheeler, in its precision and attention to form. But where Sheeler celebrated the clean lines of modernity, Frank seems to be honouring the worn, hand-worked quality of a more rustic past.