Sketchbook: Figures and Animals c. 1845 - 1847

Editor: Here we have Sanford Robinson Gifford's "Sketchbook: Figures and Animals." It's quite small. The metal clasp and the worn edges of the cover really make it look like it has a story to tell. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The texture of the cover, its palpable age, suggests a life lived and observed. The clasp, a functional element, becomes a focal point. One might consider the implied narrative suggested by its closed state; what secrets does it conceal? Editor: So, the sketchbook itself is almost like a sculpture? Curator: Precisely. The objectness of the sketchbook, its very materiality, communicates as much as the drawings within might. It is a study in form and function, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I do. I never considered a sketchbook as a complete work of art. Curator: Indeed, this shifts our perspective.