Iron and Brass Candlestand 1935 - 1942

Curator: Let's spend a moment with this captivating artwork titled "Iron and Brass Candlestand" made sometime between 1935 and 1942 by Francis Borelli. It's rendered using watercolor and colored pencil. Editor: My first thought is that it looks so delicate. Given the iron and brass, you'd expect something heavy, but the medium gives it an ethereal quality. A candlestick caught in a dream almost. Curator: Absolutely. What intrigues me is how Borelli elevates a utilitarian object through careful rendering. Look at the tripod base. The artist shows a remarkable understanding of materials in its depiction. How the drawing so clearly distinguishes brass and iron, like turning lead into gold on the page. Editor: And let's talk about the societal aspect, the availability and cost of these metals in the late '30s and early '40s. It's fascinating to consider the context of wartime and material restrictions potentially influencing the construction and the later artistic rendering. I think there's an interesting dynamic in preserving history via what could be seen as ‘functional’ objects, where high art merges with functional design. Curator: Exactly, there’s something incredibly humble, almost devout, in depicting the unseen artistry within functional items. It feels like a silent reverence for the tradesman. Editor: You are so right. The object isn’t particularly extravagant itself, but in Borelli's art, we find value placed upon even the simplest of forms, revealing it's inherent beauty through a painter's keen perspective. Even how he frames the vertical of this object on the horizontal of the page changes our relation to its purpose, it becomes purely representational and abstracted from labor, consumption, utility. Curator: It does. Borelli reminds us that art isn't solely in grand canvases, but exists in the quiet observation of everyday life. It encourages us to appreciate the artistry in the mundane, and the materials and hands behind its existence. Editor: And that shift of perspective transforms this candlestick drawing into a gentle reminder to find beauty and value everywhere we look.