Rabbet Plane c. 1937

Samuel Faigin rendered this "Rabbet Plane" with graphite and watercolor. The plane itself, a humble tool, carries a symbolic weight tied to creation and construction. Consider its form: a block of wood with a blade, an instrument of controlled destruction, to shape raw material into something new. The image of a tool recurs throughout history. Think of the axe, wielded by gods and heroes, a symbol of power and transformation. The plane, in its more modest way, echoes this transformative potential. The act of woodworking, of shaping and joining, is a metaphor for civilization itself. Just as the plane smooths rough edges, so too does culture refine and order our world. This simple tool, then, becomes a potent symbol of human agency and the enduring desire to impose form upon chaos.