Hacking Axe c. 1938

Fred Hassebrock made this hacking axe, sometime in the 20th century, out of watercolor on paper. Look at how he’s built up the form, almost like a collage of tiny marks, a swarm of browns and rusts. The surface has this granular, almost porous quality. It's like he’s trying to capture not just the look, but the feel of the axe, that rough, worn texture of the metal. See how the edges are blurred, not quite sharp? It gives the whole thing this ghostly, almost dreamlike quality. It’s about the weight and history of the object, you know? I can't help thinking about those early modernist still lifes, like Braque or Picasso, where they're breaking down objects into these faceted planes. Hassebrock's doing something similar, but with a kind of humble, everyday object. It reminds you that art can be found in the most unexpected places.