Horse Hobble c. 1941

Rose Campbell-Gerke made this ‘Horse Hobble’ with watercolor, graphite, and ink. It's fascinating how Campbell-Gerke has rendered this everyday object with such care. The color palette is mostly muted, but it doesn't feel drab. It's more like she's inviting us to look closer, to see the subtle shifts in tone and texture. I find myself drawn to the way she's handled the material aspects of the hobble. The leather straps are depicted with such tactile detail that you can almost feel the grain. The metallic ring has a satisfying weight to it, doesn't it? The little rose details have a lot of charm! Notice how each mark seems deliberate, like she's trying to capture not just the appearance, but the essence of the thing. It reminds me a little of Charles Sheeler, with that same kind of attention to detail. But Campbell-Gerke brings her own sensibility to it, a kind of quiet reverence for the handmade and the everyday. It's a good reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places.