Tippet and Muff c. 1938

Hans Mangelsdorf made this drawing of a tippet and muff, sometime in the 20th Century, probably with colored pencils. The process of making something like this, stroke after stroke, is an act of devotion. Looking at the drawing, I'm struck by the almost obsessive detail, the way the colors seem to build up like layers of sediment. The greens, blues, and purples create a kind of shimmering, iridescent surface that mimics the texture of real fur. It's like each stroke is a tiny piece of the puzzle, coming together to form a whole that's both representational and abstract. See that one little purple mark, right there near the bottom of the muff? It’s so small, but it adds this pop that makes the whole thing sing. The piece reminds me a bit of Alfred Jensen, with its almost mathematical approach to color and form. But where Jensen is all about systems, Mangelsdorf feels more intuitive, more organic. It’s a reminder that art isn’t just about what you see, it’s about how you see it.