Candlestick c. 1905 - 1918

These candlesticks were made by the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis sometime between 1904 and 1918. They give me a similar feeling to the way I approach art-making: a kind of quiet focus on the process itself. I'm thinking about the texture on the metal – the hammered effect on the sconces especially. I like that you can see the hand in them. It’s not perfectly smooth, and you can see the traces of how it was made. The physicality of the metal – the way it catches the light and the subtle variations in color, all these details make the piece special. These candlesticks are so minimal, so reduced, but still have this warmth. You can almost feel the silversmith's hand moving across the surface, shaping and forming each candlestick, but I'm interested in what the pair could mean together. There's this beautiful simplicity, and it reminds me of some of Brancusi’s sculptures, where he’s trying to get to the essence of form. Art at its best invites us to slow down, to really see and feel the world around us.