Tomahawk 1935 - 1942

Cornelius Christoffels made this small painting of a tomahawk with watercolor and graphite. The earthy palette is punctuated by geometric details, a white cross and diamond. I imagine Christoffels delicately building up the image with subtle washes, allowing the form of the tomahawk to emerge gradually. Each mark seems deliberate, carefully placed to capture the texture and form of the object. Maybe Christoffels was thinking about material culture, or just being in the world. That descriptive handling makes me think of the paintings of Native American ledger artists like Wo-Haw, who made these kinds of images to record their lives, but then I think also of Giorgio Morandi with his muted bottles... It all comes from somewhere, right? This painting feels so quiet and meditative, and reminds us that artists are in constant dialogue, taking inspiration from one another across time and place. There's no single way to read this image, which is what makes it interesting.