Andiron (one of pair) c. 1937

This is an andiron (one of a pair) by Hans Korsch, and I reckon it was made with graphite and watercolor. Just looking at it now, it feels like it was made in phases. Like Korsch first laid down the bare bones, with just enough detail to know what he was looking at. Then, maybe days later, he went back and made it pop. He added the glow of the metal and some shadows so it sits heavy on the page. I wonder what Korsch was thinking when he was shading it. I bet he was imagining all the hearths this would stand in front of. Funny that it's a design of something so heavy, made with something so light. It kind of reminds me of Guston, in that way. How he could make something so funny and dark at the same time, just by changing the way he smudged a line. All artists, even designers, are in this ongoing conversation, you know? They see something that inspires them, they rip it off, and they make it their own.