Chopping Knife c. 1940

Charles Charon made this drawing of a chopping knife, and I love how he's so interested in the process of seeing, the actual looking at this everyday object. The colors are quiet, almost muted, but that lets you really focus on the form, right? The texture he creates, especially on the blade, it's not just flat. You can almost feel the roughness, the history of use, and maybe even a little rust. It’s like he's not just drawing a tool, but thinking about the act of chopping, the energy and labor in the kitchen. The way he renders the wooden handle, it's so smooth and inviting against the rough blade. Look how the light catches it, how it seems to almost glow compared to the metal. It’s all about contrasts, like a quiet conversation between different ways of being in the world, wouldn't you say? It makes me think of those Shaker designs, where function and beauty are totally intertwined. It's a simple object, but it holds so much.