Key Bank c. 1940

Curator: Our focus today is "Key Bank," a watercolor drawing created around 1940 by William O. Fletcher. The drawing features a somewhat oversized, ornate key centered on the page. What’s your immediate impression? Editor: It's stark. The solitary key floats against this plain background, but the details are compelling, especially the textures. You can practically feel the cool, slightly rough metal, which speaks volumes about its making and handling. Curator: Keys, of course, are heavily symbolic. This isn't just any key; it possesses a sort of old-world charm and craftsmanship. One almost wonders what secrets it unlocks, what potential or history is tied to it. Editor: Absolutely, and consider Fletcher's choices: watercolor and drawing emphasize precision, slowing down the observation of the object, maybe an intimate, domestic tool. Why not photography, which would capture a real one quickly? I'm thinking this key holds more than a bank's contents. It hints at the social function of keeping valuable material away from the collective good. Curator: Interesting point. Given the approximate date, during the tail end of the Depression, a key representing banking and financial institutions could be seen through a more critical lens, maybe signaling concerns about who holds the "key" to economic prosperity. Editor: Exactly, Fletcher's technical approach here isn’t only about representation; it is making us aware of the economic machinery at play in his moment. Curator: The beauty of still life lies in its capacity to distill grander narratives within the quiet intimacy of everyday objects. The key as an icon is deeply embedded in our collective unconscious. Fletcher, however, encourages us to contemplate its material form and function, blurring lines of value and ownership. Editor: I agree. It has a certain melancholic air about it, a beautiful, obsolete object hinting at shifts in financial security. Curator: Indeed, a meditation on how keys shift in significance across different economic landscapes. Editor: Right, and one gets the sense of a changing relationship to these institutions reflected in an object of everyday security.