Secretary c. 1936

Editor: This is Leon Witt's "Secretary," made around 1936, seemingly a watercolor drawing. There's such an intense focus on the textures of the wood and the brass fittings. How should we interpret this work through the lens of its materials? Curator: Considering the period, the detailed rendering of this “secretary” or writing desk points towards the value placed on craftmanship and mass production. It invites a scrutiny of both the depicted object –likely factory made–, and Witt's labor to capture its likeness on paper. Do you agree this almost feels like a catalog depiction? Editor: Absolutely, there’s a sense of detached observation, like an advertisement. The way he highlights every knob and crevice speaks to industrialization and maybe even consumer culture at the time. It’s as if he's documenting not just a piece of furniture, but the era's relationship with objects. What are your thoughts on the contrast between what we might call “fine art”, and say the commercial process behind furniture? Curator: Precisely. We could explore how academic-art conventions become implicated in promoting consumerism, a tension Witt subtly reveals. By isolating and carefully representing this manufactured piece of furniture, he prompts a viewer to question the nature of art, industry, and design. Where does the artistic value truly lie, and what message are we receiving because of that relationship between the object and its artist? Editor: So, this watercolor doesn't just show us a desk; it encourages a critical examination of artistic labor and consumerism's burgeoning influence during the early 20th century? I will have to revisit some essays on Walter Benjamin. Curator: Exactly. Perhaps seeing these artifacts prompts us to look closer not just at their inherent nature, but more closely into the broader world of consumption we've come to be so enmeshed in.