Pa. German Stove Plate c. 1942

This Pennsylvania German stove plate, by Charles Von Urban, shows us how art can be so deeply connected to everyday life. The image has a wonderful sense of texture. You can almost feel the roughness of the cast iron. The repeated impressions give the surface a kind of animated energy, like it was built up slowly, intuitively. Look at the way the horse's legs are captured - they almost seem to merge with the base, as though they are part of one single pressing. It reminds me of some early modernist sculpture, like the plaster casts made by Medardo Rosso. Von Urban's work embraces the inherent qualities of the materials, rather than trying to conceal them. In a way, this piece asks us to rethink our ideas around function and decoration, blurring the lines between craft and fine art. It shows us that art can be found in the most unexpected places.