Cut Tin Candle Holder 1935 - 1942

This is a drawing of a cut tin candle holder, made by William Hoffman, who lived a long life, from 1855 to 1955, full of change. The drawing's all about lines—straight ones that radiate out and wiggly ones that give the whole thing a kind of folksy charm. You can see the process so clearly in the way the lines vary, some confident, others a little hesitant, and I like that the symmetry isn't too perfect. The paper has aged, adding warmth to the cool lines. The design itself is pretty cool: a central circle surrounded by these almost bird-like shapes. Hoffman’s use of simple, repetitive marks is really striking, especially where he's echoed the zigzags from the bird's wings into the edging on the circle. It's like he's thinking aloud with his pen, working out the design, bit by bit. This reminds me a bit of some of the early 20th century American modernists, like Marsden Hartley, who were also looking to folk art for inspiration. Art’s one big conversation, and Hoffman’s right in the middle of it!