Adjustable Drawshave 1938

Editor: This is Albert Geuppert’s "Adjustable Drawshave" from 1938, a watercolor drawing. I’m struck by the stillness of it. It's a tool, seemingly floating in this blank space. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What I find compelling is the tension between the ordinary and the elevated. A utilitarian object rendered with such care begs the question: who uses this tool, and to what end? Consider the context of 1938. The rise of industrialization threatened traditional crafts. Is Geuppert making a statement about labor, perhaps idealizing a pre-industrial past or lamenting its loss? Editor: That's interesting! I hadn't thought about it as a commentary on labor. I was just focused on the object itself. But thinking about it now, maybe the careful rendering *is* a way of elevating it, giving value to something often overlooked. Curator: Exactly! And who traditionally held the knowledge and skill to use such a tool? We might consider gender, class, and access to resources in understanding its social meaning. Was Geuppert attempting to preserve a memory, to document a disappearing skill held by a particular community? Who is included and excluded when we value such “skill”? Editor: I see what you mean. It's not just a picture of a tool; it’s a picture *about* the tool, and about the people who used it, and maybe even about what we lose when those skills fade away. Thanks, I hadn't considered that at all. Curator: And in considering who is forgotten in these depictions, we come closer to a critical understanding of both history and ourselves. A single image opens up so many important social considerations. Editor: Absolutely, and I think I'll start asking these types of questions as I look at all artwork going forward!