Gun c. 1936

Editor: Here we have "Gun," a graphite drawing made around 1936 by Harry G. Aberdeen. I’m struck by how precise and almost clinical it feels – less like a weapon and more like an architectural diagram. What do you make of this piece? Curator: It's funny you say architectural because that’s exactly where my mind goes! Aberdeen’s rendering reminds me of old blueprints, with the meticulous detailing and the scale notations. I find myself pondering what drove Aberdeen – Was he captivated by the cold, functional beauty of this object? I almost want to ask if he’s shooting for accuracy or commentary? Editor: Commentary? In what sense? It seems like just a straightforward representation. Curator: Perhaps, but there's an unnerving stillness. Think about it – a gun, frozen in time, dissected on paper. The act of drawing itself, isn’t that a strange way of possessing an object, more intimate than ownership? Also, doesn't the isolation on the page – the gun floating in that field of empty space – give you a little pause? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it definitely changes my view. It’s like the drawing is containing its subject rather than depicting it. Curator: Exactly! So much about art is, what *isn't* explicitly said. You know, if this gun could talk – well, I suspect it'd have some compelling stories. Wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely. It makes you consider the history behind the object in a new way. It definitely goes beyond just being a picture of a gun!