Grandfather's Clock c. 1942

Editor: This is "Grandfather's Clock," a watercolor and charcoal drawing made around 1942 by Ralph Morton. The clock looms so large and solitary in the frame. It feels a bit sad, almost monumental in its quiet stillness. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Ralph Morton's "Grandfather's Clock" becomes a poignant symbol when viewed through the lens of its time. The early 1940s were marked by global conflict and social upheaval. Doesn't the stillness you observed become something else: a meditation on time, memory, and the fragility of domestic life amidst war? Consider how the clock, often a symbol of continuity and tradition, is rendered in such muted tones. Editor: I didn't consider the historical context at all, just focused on the object itself! The colors *are* very muted now that I'm really looking at them. Curator: Exactly! It's critical to examine whose stories are told and whose are absent within dominant narratives. Why focus on preserving this object, during times of social struggle? Editor: Maybe it was meant to signal a hope for a return to normalcy? Curator: Possibly. The 'normalcy' signaled by such objects wasn't accessible for everyone, which may signal further inequalities of its time. Does understanding that perspective shift your interpretation of the artwork at all? Editor: It does, immensely. It is a powerful thing to see it both ways – as an item to keep things familiar or maybe as a statement for that ideal itself, which does change it a great deal. Curator: By questioning whose voices are centered and marginalized, we unveil the artwork's complex relationship to the politics of representation. Thank you, it has been a great experience for me, too!