Shaker Spiral Staircase c. 1938

Editor: Here we have George V. Vezolles’ "Shaker Spiral Staircase," likely from 1938, made with watercolor and charcoal on paper. It’s fascinating how such a simple subject evokes this feeling of… ascendance? What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, immediately, I see a quiet rebellion. The Shakers, a religious sect, valued simplicity and functionality, even in their architecture. But this spiral staircase, while functional, is also undeniably elegant, even decorative. Think about the historical context: The late 1930s were marked by economic hardship, and here, perhaps, is a yearning for something beyond the purely utilitarian. Editor: So you're suggesting it goes against the expected austerity of the Shakers? Curator: Precisely! We must ask, what is the role of beauty in a community defined by self-denial? Is this staircase an act of defiance? A quiet insistence on beauty? Or is it a testament to human nature's inherent need for something beyond survival? How does gender factor into this—were women involved in its design, quietly influencing aesthetics within the strictures of Shaker society? Editor: I hadn't considered that! It challenges the assumptions I had about Shaker design being purely functional. Curator: Right. And also think about how Vezolles, as an artist, chose this particular subject. Was he drawn to its clean lines? Or did he recognize something deeper, some tension between the practical and the aesthetic, reflecting perhaps similar tensions in his own time? Editor: It’s amazing how a simple staircase can lead to such complex questions. I see it in a completely new light now. Curator: Absolutely. Art is never created in a vacuum. Even a drawing of a staircase can open a window onto complex social and historical realities.