Skewers and Holder c. 1936

Editor: This graphite drawing on paper, "Skewers and Holder" by Holger Hansen, appears to be from around 1936. The skewer set has an appealing rustic quality. What stands out to you about this piece? Curator: It's intriguing how Hansen has chosen to represent such a utilitarian object with such care. This compels us to consider the materials and the labor involved in both creating the skewers and rendering them on paper. Editor: I see what you mean. It's not just about what it *is,* but how it came to *be.* Can you elaborate? Curator: The very act of drawing focuses on the physical properties of the materials. Graphite, paper—both commodities with histories tied to industrial processes, deforestation, and global trade. Think about how Hansen manipulates the graphite to create shading and texture, mimicking the materiality of the skewers themselves. What kind of process was necessary to create that form, those textures, those points? Editor: So it's not just about the finished drawing, but the entire production chain of the object and the art itself? The process involved with the artist and manufacturer too? Curator: Precisely. Where did Hansen get the paper? The graphite? What was his relationship to labor? Considering these questions disrupts the traditional hierarchy between 'fine art' and 'craft'. Are those skewers hand-wrought or factory made? Is there a different value for those pieces now due to Hansen immortalizing them? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Looking at the artwork as a point in a web of resources, actions, and exchanges…fascinating. Curator: And perhaps how its *function* alters or gains significance being immortalized, even rendered obsolete by contemporary manufacture and retail. Editor: Absolutely. Thanks for pointing out those layers of material and production! I will keep these connections in mind when studying art from now on.