U.S. Car Owners c. 1945

Editor: Coreen Mary Spellman's "U.S. Car Owners," made around 1945 using pencil and printmaking, really struck me with its almost humorous depiction of labor. The awkward posture of the figure wrestling with the enormous tire creates a definite mood. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This piece resonates with the post-war American psyche, particularly anxieties about modernity and individual reliance on machinery. Notice how the car, an emergent symbol of freedom and success, is rendered almost monstrous in scale compared to the human figure. This is a distortion reflecting psychological unease; is the car owning the man, rather than the other way around? The exaggerated size and shadows invoke the weight of industrial advancement, and perhaps its potential to overwhelm the individual spirit. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I focused more on the literal image, but thinking of it symbolically, the tire almost becomes an oppressive force. The tool laying abandoned nearby strengthens the feeling of struggle and futility. Curator: Exactly! And Spellman, in her role as a woman artist during this period, presents an interesting commentary on masculinity. This almost comical, exaggerated struggle might even critique idealized images of male capability, highlighting a kind of everyman's frustrating encounter with technological dependence. Does this added layer of meaning change your first reaction at all? Editor: Definitely. It went from a funny scene to a surprisingly potent visual statement on post-war American identity. It’s amazing how much deeper the work gets by considering its symbolism. Curator: Precisely, the symbols accumulate to create something deeply evocative, revealing the layers of meaning beneath the surface of the everyday.