Hammer c. 1939

Curator: Welcome. Here we have R.J. De Freitas’s rendering from about 1939 titled "Hammer", a watercolour and charcoal drawing. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It's stark, utilitarian. There's something quite forceful about the hammer dominating the space. Is it a call to action, or perhaps a statement about labour? Curator: Looking closely, one immediately notices the wood of the handle, it seems worn smooth and comfortable. The charcoal adds texture and a sense of weight, doesn't it? One imagines it fitting perfectly in a craftsman’s hand. What's especially captivating, for me, is how the materials become metaphors themselves, each conveying a distinct aspect of manual labor. Editor: Absolutely. Hammers are primal tools, extensions of our own strength and will. Their presence here is a forceful reminder of progress and industry. Curator: Note the deliberate use of watercolour. That application, for me, makes this familiar tool delicate even. It also forces us to question the traditional separation between art and craft; this tool embodies the act of 'making' in its purest form. And look closely—the handle is meticulously detailed and given prominence, highlighting the act of 'handling,' engaging, and operating, elevating the act of labour itself. Editor: Indeed, the way the artist has given it such centrality shifts its symbolic meaning. It's no longer just a tool; it represents the human capacity for shaping the world. In its most simplified state of human construction, there is also the history of humans trying to use our environment. Curator: Exactly, that focus pushes beyond mere functionality and allows a richer context of skill, labor and utility. By focusing on the making of such a utilitarian tool, De Freitas reveals a kind of silent celebration of skilled craftsmanship. Editor: It seems to immortalize this item of basic utility into the canon of great human achievement. That elevates the hammer's meaning far beyond what the object is, or what it can do. Curator: A very succinct assessment. Thank you. Editor: My pleasure, thanks for sharing that amazing tool's symbolic impact.