Broad Axe 1941

Archie Thompson's watercolor painting depicts an every-day working tool, the broad axe, rendered with careful attention to its materiality. The wooden handle, smooth and pale, contrasts with the axe head itself, a dark, weathered iron. The broad axe is designed for hewing timber, squaring logs for building. This particular axe shows signs of use: the head is heavily patinated with rust, and its form is subtly irregular, as if worn by repeated sharpening. Thompson clearly appreciated the quiet beauty and dignity of this common tool, one shaped by time and hard labor. Consider how different this image is from traditional still-life painting, which often features precious materials. Thompson's choice to paint the axe invites us to recognize the value and artistry inherent in vernacular objects, blurring the lines between craft and fine art.