Basket 1935 - 1942

Curator: Let's discuss this delicate watercolor and pencil drawing titled "Basket" by Mary Berner, created sometime between 1935 and 1942. Editor: My first impression is that it’s rather understated. The palette is soft, muted even. It has a humble quality, a quiet stillness about it. Curator: That’s a good point. The soft colors do lend a sense of humility. I'm wondering, given the period, how this might reflect the social context of the time. Perhaps a commentary on simplicity during the Depression era? Everyday objects represented to imbue them with special value? Editor: It could also signify the ways in which women artists negotiated their positions during that era. The subject matter – a commonplace, traditionally feminine item - but depicted in a delicate medium like watercolor, could that challenge or subtly reinforce expectations? What do you think? Curator: It's a really astute observation to read the medium alongside the imagery, isn’t it? And this tension you are speaking to certainly creates an ambiguity. On the one hand, depicting a basket connects to traditional representations of women’s craft. On the other hand, using the skills of drawing and watercolor elevates this utilitarian object to the level of art. The geometric designs feel like stylized floral motifs, speaking to an aesthetic sensibility that transcends its purely functional purpose. Editor: Thinking about its reception in contemporary society too – did Berner intend to elevate an everyday object, or was she subtly subverting art’s assumed grander themes and encouraging audiences to reflect on simpler items as sites of complex social meanings? And is there any evidence about who got to view this piece at the time? Curator: We have very little documentation on public reception to Berner’s work, however, framing it with questions such as those help us remember the agency an artist brings when putting paintbrush to paper and the stories mundane objects tell about larger socio-economic events and movements. Editor: Absolutely. Thinking through all the political and gendered nuances intertwined in the decision to make this type of artwork has certainly shifted my original assessment. Curator: Agreed. It serves as a nice reminder that the "everyday" always has deeper social significance.