Chest 1936

This technical drawing of a chest was made by John Dieterich, though we don’t know exactly when. It's a detailed line drawing that captures both the frontal and side views of this object. Looking at all this decorative carving, I can imagine the artist hunched over a workbench, carefully gouging out the wood, bit by bit, following a design that feels both intricate and somehow intuitive. It’s really something how the artist notes: ‘the spaces represent grooves’, almost as if the carving is as much about what's removed as what remains. I mean, the carving on this chest is 'rough', or 'primitive', as the artist has noted, but I think it has a certain charm. The way those initials, ‘E.G.’ are centered in that carved panel really has something. It reminds me of the kind of care and attention you see in folk art—a connection to material, to making, to something deeply personal and handmade. And then I think about other artists, working in different ways, but all driven by this need to create, to leave their mark—literally, in this case. It really emphasizes how the artist’s work is an act of embodied expression.