Desk c. 1940

Curator: Marie Alain created this drawing, simply titled "Desk," around 1940. It appears to be executed with watercolours, maybe with the addition of oil pastels on toned paper. It has a surprisingly serene quality, don't you think? Editor: Serene, yes, in its presentation. But what's immediately striking is the detail rendered with those materials. Look at how carefully each element is articulated. This desk screams of a particular type of industrialization and labour in woodworking that shaped furniture production mid-century. Curator: Exactly! The desk as an object—particularly in the 1940s—became a site of burgeoning administrative labour, inextricably linked to expanding bureaucratic systems in both government and the private sector. This drawing speaks to the cultural elevation of that professional, white-collar world. Editor: Absolutely. And the medium chosen is telling as well. Watercolour, often viewed as a more "delicate" art form, lends a layer to the furniture typically made for a man, it speaks to who occupies these workspaces – or who wants to occupy these spaces. Consider the skill involved in achieving such a precise depiction with watercolours; the labour here, to render even simple stoneware. It asks us about production, about class aspirations, and even about gender roles during that period. Curator: Indeed. Watercolour was seen as accessible, especially for women artists and amateurs, while still signifying "culture". In this case, Alain harnesses those connotations to subtly comment on a shifting societal landscape where these traditionally gendered forms are colliding. It allows, within that, for accessibility within a changing workplace. Editor: Looking closer, the watercolour bleed on this work seems both intentional and uncontrolled. As if highlighting the potential, or perhaps pre-determined, failure that lingers as we craft in and imagine working from these spaces. Curator: An interesting thought! In any case, Alain’s “Desk” provides a fascinating lens through which to consider the intersection of work, culture, and material production in mid-20th-century society. Editor: Right, this wasn’t just a desk but is actually a representation of evolving working culture and accessible means of creation which speaks volumes of that time.