Box c. 1939

Editor: This is Frank Fumagalli's "Box," from around 1939, created with watercolor and drawing. It feels like a glimpse into a specific object, a container, perhaps precious, but it's represented quite simply. What stands out to you? Curator: What I find interesting is the rendering of this "Box" as a commodity, accessible and seemingly divorced from its actual function or origins. The use of watercolor suggests accessibility, mass production— a far cry from the laborious, perhaps secretive, construction of the box itself. Editor: So, the medium itself comments on the idea of value? Curator: Precisely. The image replicates the object in a medium that diminishes it; turning labor into something consumable. Look closely – what sort of labor do you imagine went into producing an actual box like this, versus this representation? Editor: I see your point. The box seems ornate, maybe hand-carved with a metal clasp; but the watercolor makes it feel almost… common. Curator: And that interplay, the tension between perceived and real value, the depiction and the tangible artifact – it brings to mind the social stratification and the shifting definition of "luxury" in the late 1930s, right before the world once again was reshaped through war. Editor: It's fascinating how focusing on the materials and their contrast unlocks a much broader social commentary! I will look differently at watercolor now. Curator: Indeed. By focusing on the material conditions of its making, a "simple" drawing opens onto an entire world of production, value, and social hierarchy.