Skewers and Holder c. 1938

Bernard Krieger made this drawing of skewers and holder – sometime between 1855 and 1995 – with a pencil. The grey graphite is built up through short strokes and marks, smudged and blended to achieve the metallic finish. I can imagine Bernard sitting in front of these objects, carefully observing the subtleties of light and shadow, and trying to capture the essence of each skewer. It’s quite a feat really to make flat marks on paper describe round forms in space. I wonder if he was thinking about what they were used for, and who used them? That the central skewer handle has a heart shape cut out is a detail I keep returning to. This adds a sweet and charming note to the drawing. Krieger’s dedication to depicting everyday objects resonates with other artists who explore the beauty in the mundane, and the image invites us to pause and appreciate the artistry embedded in even the simplest of tools. We’re all in conversation, you know, riffing off of each other, across time.