Bootjack c. 1940

Marius Hansen rendered this bootjack with watercolour and graphite, and the simple forms somehow feel monumental. I imagine Hansen at work, carefully observing this ordinary object, tracing its outlines, and filling in the intricate decorations. It’s an object that helps you to pull off your boots, but here it is transformed into an image with a new kind of presence. The pale ground feels expansive, amplifying the bootjack’s size and importance. And those graceful curves! The dark graphic embellishments against the light ground bring to mind artists like Dürer, but in a humbler key. It strikes me that Hansen’s process of patient looking and meticulous rendering mirrors the way folk artists have long honoured everyday objects. It’s a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, transforming the mundane into something extraordinary, where seeing is more than just looking!