Glass Pen 1935 - 1942

Editor: So, this intriguing piece is called "Glass Pen," made between 1935 and 1942 by Amos C. Brinton, using watercolor and ink. The detail is quite captivating. I'm really drawn to its…well, oddity, the slightly surreal feel it evokes. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: The "oddity" you mention—precisely! For me, it whispers of dreams transcribed, perhaps surrealist manifestos penned with avian inspiration. Look closer; those doves adorning the pen – are they guides, muses, or mere decoration? Perhaps it's all three, stirred together in the artist’s subconscious. Do you sense a whimsical formality, like a bizarre ceremonial object? Editor: Whimsical formality - I love that! Yes, it's both functional and…not. A fancy writing instrument but topped with what look like a gaggle of pigeons! Was Brinton making some sort of comment on art itself, maybe mocking the artistic "high and low"? Curator: A delightfully astute question! I don’t believe Brinton was necessarily mocking art, but more like embracing a quirky vision. Look at the detail of the pen's shaft versus the stylized birds; that juxtaposition is a tension all its own. It invites us to consider art's inherent playfulness, a liberation of form. What do you think: is the pen writing our stories or the other way around? Editor: Ooh, I like that. The pen writing *our* stories… I originally saw something quite literal, but now I realize it is about…the act of creating. I wouldn't have seen that without your point about those stylized birds! Curator: Aha! Always keep the unexpected bird in your periphery. It can be quite illuminating, and might tell you something special in turn!