Andiron (one of pair) 1935 - 1942

This is Hans Korsch’s design for an andiron, rendered with pencil on paper. You see the side, the front, and a view from above - this drawing is less concerned with art than with utility. But I can’t help myself, my eyes keep coming back to the front view, that little tower or monument in the inset rectangle, the flags waving. It’s like the andiron itself has become a site for… what? Remembrance? Celebration? There's a lot of linear work here, hatching and cross-hatching. I’m thinking of Sol LeWitt, his sculptures, but reduced to the bare minimum, just a plan. The front view reminds me a little of an illustration from a children’s book, the rendering of the grass feels so playful. It is a little crude, right? Like an outsider art. It's hard to say! I enjoy the ambiguity.