Tie-back c. 1938

Harry Jennings made this Tie-back, of indeterminate date, with a careful consideration of the object's form. Look at the cross-hatched pattern, and the way this sits under the image of the fruit and foliage. I love the way this gives the surface a kind of shimmering depth! You can almost feel the texture of the metal, right? Notice, in the middle, how Jennings uses the highlights and shadows to bring out the three-dimensionality of the decoration. It’s not just a flat drawing; it's a study in light and form, and I’m thinking about that sense of depth and surface. You could say Jennings is working within a long tradition of artists who are fascinated by the everyday object, and using this as a jumping point for all sorts of ideas about value, utility, and beauty. Think, for example, about the work of the Pop artist Claes Oldenburg, who made monumental sculptures of everyday items.