Little Wooden Hen 1935 - 1942

Curator: This lovely piece, titled "Little Wooden Hen", comes to us from Mildred E. Bent, created between 1935 and 1942, rendered in watercolor and drawing. Editor: There’s something immediately comforting about it, a sense of home and hearth. The warm, earthy tones contribute to that feeling, almost like looking at a well-loved toy. Curator: The hen motif is steeped in folklore. Throughout many cultures, hens are potent symbols of fertility, nourishment, and maternal care. It speaks to enduring cyclical renewal and protection. Editor: And how fascinating that the hen itself seems to be modeled after a wood carving, the details mimicking carved texture so carefully. Does this nod to the folk-art movement and its connection to rural life and handcrafted objects, challenging the dominance of industrialized art? Curator: Indeed. It reflects a cultural memory, harking back to a simpler time, when handcrafted objects held greater significance and carried ancestral echoes. This is reflected in its use of symbolism and representation within rural iconography. Editor: I wonder if the choice of the tree stump is deliberate? The hen elevated, literally given a stage, prompting reflection about humanity’s connection with nature, and its simultaneous extraction and romanticization. Does it point to broader gender dynamics, as female figures were commonly associated with earthiness, care and cyclical time? Curator: Potentially so! Consider that the artist's choices aren’t simply aesthetic; they represent layers of cultural understanding passed down and actively negotiated, making pieces of art memory portals. Editor: I am definitely getting a new sense of connection and seeing familiar elements that make this hen all the more memorable. Curator: Absolutely; hopefully our viewers now recognize it is an invitation into conversations between past and present, individual and collective meanings!