Hide Stretcher c. 1938

This image shows a hide stretcher, likely made with watercolor on paper by George Bobholz. I wonder what it was like for Bobholz to decide to paint this particular object. Was it a tool he used daily? Did he feel it could reveal something important? The stretcher is painted with a limited range of earthy browns and tans. The artist's marks are loose and free, with a slight texture that emphasizes the rough quality of the stretcher itself. There's a vulnerability to the image – the way the object is rendered feels honest and unpretentious. You can see where Bobholz made small adjustments, letting the painting breathe and evolve. It's almost as if Bobholz is in conversation with other painters who came before him, like Giorgio Morandi, who also found profundity in the mundane. Bobholz reminds us that painting is never really about answers. Instead, it gives space to explore, question, and reflect.