Waffle Iron c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Holger Hansen’s "Waffle Iron," a pencil drawing from around 1936. The details are incredibly crisp for a drawing. It feels so… industrial and antiquated at the same time. What jumps out to you about this, professor? Curator: It’s interesting how Hansen, even while depicting such a common domestic object, frames it with this air of mechanical precision. Notice how he includes a scale; almost like an engineer’s technical drawing rather than a still life. Editor: That’s true. It feels less like art and more like a patent application. Why depict something so mundane in such a formal way? Curator: Exactly! Now consider the 1930s. The Great Depression gripped America. We see art shifting. Artists are trying to depict American life, everyday struggles and objects gaining a certain prominence and visibility. Even something as simple as a waffle iron symbolizes domestic life and perhaps a yearning for stability. The almost sterile realism echoes a need for clarity. What do you make of the signature? Editor: It’s quite prominent. So Hansen wanted it very clearly to be perceived as art, in spite of its apparent lack of artistry. I wonder if, by making it look mechanical, Hansen aimed to challenge conventional understandings of art? Curator: An excellent observation. By elevating this common tool, he is indeed playing with the perception of art, labor, and perhaps even questioning the value placed on different kinds of work during a time of economic hardship. It seems that in Hansen's gaze the ordinary turns monumental, and that says a lot about the era. Editor: I never would have considered it like that. It is a subtle, yet fascinating reflection of the era’s socio-economic landscape. Curator: And that's the power of historical context. It can turn the seemingly mundane into a poignant commentary.