-National Savings Bank (house)- still bank c. early 20th century

This "National Savings Bank (house)" still bank, of indeterminate date, was made by an anonymous maker. Everything about this piece speaks of process. Someone, somewhere, cut and assembled these pieces of wood, staining and varnishing them to create this little building. The palette is limited to warm browns, reds and oranges, but it's a surprisingly rich combination. Look at the way the different shades of brown create depth and shadow, how the vertical lines mimic the grain of the wood itself. The base of the bank is particularly interesting. It's made up of horizontal layers of light and dark wood, stacked like sedimentary rock, emphasizing the earthbound nature of this bank. Even the lettering, 'National Savings Bank,' is built into the architecture of the piece; a part of the design, as much as the windows or roof. It reminds me a bit of Haim Steinbach, his use of found objects to create meaning, but this piece is less about the objects themselves and more about the act of building, of creation. Art isn’t always about answers; sometimes it’s about the questions that are asked.