-Thunderbird Bank- still bank c. mid 20th century

This anonymous Thunderbird Bank still bank is a small, intriguing object with a patina that speaks volumes. It’s fascinating how the surface texture varies – smooth in some areas, almost like brushed velvet in others, giving it an aged, tactile quality. The copper color shifts with the light, creating highlights and shadows that emphasize its architectural form. Look at the detail around the Thunderbird motif; the way the metal has been worked gives it a hand-crafted, almost folk-art feel, but the overall effect is very modern. Thinking about other artists, someone like Hilla and Bernd Becher comes to mind, with their interest in industrial architecture and typology. This bank shares a similar attention to form and detail. But it also has a playful quality; it’s a functional object meant to hold coins, yet it’s also a miniature monument to commerce and design. Art often plays with these layers of meaning, inviting us to see familiar things in new and unexpected ways.