Flat Iron Holder c. 1938

Joseph Rothenberg made this drawing of a flat iron holder at an unknown date and with unknown materials. It's a delicate, grey rendering of a utilitarian object. You can tell that he labored, taking time to get the form correct. I wonder what Rothenberg was thinking as he drew this. Is it a study for something else? Was it a purely documentary pursuit? Or maybe he was just compelled by the shapes and textures of this humble object. I like to imagine the repetitive movement of the pencil, shading in the metal, building up a sense of volume and weight. The artist is not only depicting an object but is also showing the potential for beauty in everyday things. It's interesting how an artist can transform something ordinary into something quite extraordinary. Artists like Rothenberg remind us that art can be found in unexpected places, and that the act of looking closely can reveal hidden beauty.