Shaker Wall Clock 1936

Editor: This is Anne Ger's "Shaker Wall Clock," created in 1936, using coloured pencil and drawing. It has such a quaint charm to it. What initially grabs me is its depiction of three-dimensional form with two-dimensional means. What elements stand out to you? Curator: Immediately, the application of colour elicits thought. Observe the restricted palette: warm, muted tones defining the wood against the stark neutrality of the background. This restrained contrast, considered with the work’s inherent formalism, creates an interesting interplay of shadow, highlighting a sense of depth. Editor: I can see that! It's less about ornamentation and more about the inherent structure. The subtle gradations of the pencil marks give shape to a potentially flat shape. Curator: Precisely. This method is continued in the design’s rectangular hierarchy; from the main body to the clock-face each part adheres to clean lines that suggest stability through its balanced construction. Editor: What about the anachronistic date displayed on the clock face? Is there significance there? Curator: The artist employs that date, '1840', as a possible symbolic reference. However, formally, its circularity plays nicely with the other rectilinear components, in ways that may otherwise upset an equilibrium, a formal counterbalance between curved and rigid forms. What's your understanding of that interplay? Editor: So it becomes an artistic element rather than a record of time or a social document, existing to give a pictorial wholeness… interesting. It has made me think differently. Curator: Exactly. Through close scrutiny, we are able to appreciate Anne Ger’s conscious manipulation of line, color, and shape. A powerful meditation on art.