Belt c. 1940

Curator: This delicate watercolor and colored pencil drawing is titled "Belt," created around 1940 by Fanchon Larzelere. Editor: It's delightful! A small, fantastical narrative unfolds with simple, almost childlike forms and bright watercolors, bordered to give the impression it's meant to decorate. Curator: Yes, Fanchon Larzelere, who primarily focused on miniature artworks, might have imagined this as an element to be added to another piece. We might note that Larzelere’s creations existed within a wider circle of artists producing whimsical folk art, often self-taught or community based, pushing against dominant trends in fine art circles. Editor: It's interesting you mention that. I’m particularly drawn to the stylized figures; the man in the jaunty hat, seemingly offering a drink, and the reclining figure with a pipe, all framed with rather unrealistic botanicals and a lovely, light-winged parrot. It appears as if Larzelere wants to make it up as she goes along, creating something new. Curator: And likely so. What does the arrangement communicate? Is it a transaction? A performance? Perhaps this piece can open up discussions on exoticism, particularly during that era. The stylized, idealized scene echoes colonial fantasies prevalent at the time, despite Larzelere herself not participating in the grand artistic projects or sociopolitical movements of her generation. Editor: But does it reflect the anxieties of her time or is it her escape? Note the use of simple forms, color blocking with clear boundaries... It calls back to some very simple design decisions made throughout modernism. And that parrot's placement, compositionally, balances the scene, even if he’s slightly out of proportion! Curator: Very astute. These compositions give us the context of Larzelere’s unique social world in the interwar period. Editor: Well, looking at it now, I see a charming object lesson in the power of small things carefully designed. Curator: And I'm reminded of art's broader capacity for conveying and shaping our cultural narrative.