Candle Snuffer c. 1937

Erwin Schwabe made this drawing of a candle snuffer with pencil on paper. The fine lines describe the shape, while subtle shading gives the object a three-dimensional form. It’s a very detailed study, but there is something rather odd and awkward about the perspective. Look at the shading on the body of the snuffer, the burnished glow, and the way light is reflected on its surface. Schwabe has been very specific in his observations of light and form. The contrast between the light falling on the various surfaces makes the object appear as if it’s been rendered using a computer. This gives it a hyper-real quality like a digital image. It’s strange and unsettling, yet rather appealing. The precision and the technicality of the drawing reminds me of the detailed studies of tools by the German artist Hilla Becher, who collaborated with her husband Bernard to photograph industrial machinery. Like the Bechers, Schwabe gives us a functional object to be contemplated purely for its aesthetic form.