Candle Holder c. 1939

Editor: So, this watercolour and charcoal drawing from around 1939 by Dana Bartlett, simply titled 'Candle Holder', feels surprisingly modern in its stark simplicity. It’s just this solitary object, presented so plainly. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: The elegance of the ordinary, that's what sings to me! Think about it – Bartlett takes a humble, everyday object, a candle holder, and elevates it. It’s almost like a portrait, don't you think? He isn’t just showing us what it looks like; he's making us consider the beauty in function, in something perhaps overlooked. Does the austerity strike you as particularly modern? Editor: Yes, the sparseness and focus on the object's pure form, it definitely reads as modern. It also looks almost like a technical drawing, but the use of watercolour softens that rigidity somewhat. How much of the time period, 1939, do you think affects our view of it? Curator: Profoundly, I'd argue! Imagine the world in 1939 – teetering on the edge of war, industrialization changing landscapes... and here's Bartlett, contemplating the quiet flame of a candle. The candlelight pushes back the dark, no? This seemingly simple object represents domesticity, intimacy, maybe even hope against a backdrop of global anxiety. Or perhaps I’m getting carried away, lost in my romantic ideas. What do you make of its placement within such a conflicted moment? Editor: No, I see it! It makes it almost defiant in its mundanity. Finding beauty in simplicity amid chaos, I think it definitely provides food for thought. Thank you. Curator: And thank you. It’s wonderful how an object so simple can open up such a wealth of stories and insights.