Serpentijn kookpan Possibly 1931 - 1932

This black and white photograph shows an industrial "Serpentine Cooking Pan", the sort of thing that might be used in a factory. It's anonymous, and undated, so maybe the making is part of the point. The many circular windows on the side and the various pipes and gauges give a sense of complexity, but also of a system, a process. It's easy to imagine the artist here, or maybe engineer, carefully arranging these elements to achieve a certain effect. I'm reminded of Bernd and Hilla Becher, their typologies of industrial structures, each one unique but also part of a larger group. Look at the way the light falls on the surface of the metal, creating highlights and shadows that define its form. The details, like the ladder and handwheels, add to the sense of scale and functionality, but it's the composition, the way everything is arranged, that really makes it sing. It’s a conversation between form and function, accident and design. Just like all great art!