Hay Fork 1938

Albert Geuppert made this humble artwork, "Hay Fork," using pencil and watercolor on paper. I can see the brown and grey shades, and I imagine Geuppert with his brush, teasing out the textures of the metal. He seems to be interested in this object, and the effect it has on the flat surface of the paper! It reminds me of Van Gogh painting his boots. What was Geuppert thinking when he made this? Did he want us to think about the life of the farmer who would have used this tool? To consider the weight of the hay it moved? The hard work of farming the land? I love how this piece can communicate feeling, intention, and meaning. All artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity. I like the ambiguity and uncertainty of this piece, and the different interpretations it suggests.