Mug c. 1940

Curator: Here we have "Mug", a watercolor and drawing artwork from around 1940 by Frank Fumagalli. What’s your first impression of it? Editor: It's funny, it feels both simple and elegant. Like a humble object given royal treatment. Does that handle have to be so…fancy? It looks almost Baroque! Curator: That interplay between the everyday and the elevated might be key. During this era, a common artistic goal was depicting common American subjects in order to instill confidence during hard economic times. Even functional items, like this mug, got their moment. Editor: Right. And what strikes me is how transparent and fragile it seems in watercolor. Makes you appreciate holding a solid mug of something warm. This doesn't look particularly sturdy though, does it? Curator: Watercolor allowed the artist to capture the light filtering through the glass. Though seemingly simple, this transparency echoes other social and cultural ideals being sought during the mid-century. Artists pursued increased societal clarity, both politically and creatively. Editor: It almost looks ghostly, now that you mention it. But still has an intimate warmth in that golden hue. What’s really interesting to me is the handle—its decorative swirls offer such an individual detail, contrasting the plain shape of the mug. Almost as if everyone deserves beautiful objects, even in the most commonplace. Curator: A potent idea to champion. Consider how an object as seemingly trivial as a drinking vessel, especially in uncertain times, represents our capacity to discover meaning, and perhaps even a moment of beauty, in everyday life. Editor: Beautiful. Who knew you could read the politics of hope from a mug? Curator: Perhaps all art invites us to consider such complexities—and contradictions. Editor: Absolutely, from the everyday to the exceptional. It’s the subtleties that whisper loudest, isn’t it?