Silver Mug c. 1936

Curator: This is Richard Schoene’s "Silver Mug," a pencil drawing dating back to around 1936. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Hmm, it's strangely…stoic? Like a lone knight’s cup, awaiting the next quest, or maybe just a good, strong ale after a long day tilting at windmills. It feels incredibly grounded. Curator: Well, think about the era. This was created during the Great Depression. Even a simple silver mug becomes a symbol—perhaps a vessel of hope, of resilience, of the bare essentials still holding beauty and value when many lost everything. What does silver represent then? Editor: Ah, the Depression era. Of course! Silver, right—it’s not gold, it’s attainable luxury. Almost makes me want to etch a poem on it, something about simple joys persevering even when the world’s gone mad. The reflections on the silver seem almost to be liquid and fluid in motion like a feeling to me. Curator: And what about the composition itself? Schoene's choice to isolate the mug on the page highlights its individual importance. No distractions. In realist drawings and still lifes generally from this period, this almost always suggests resilience, order, against the grain of uncertainty. Editor: Good point! Isolated yes, as a memory almost? Also, the way he uses shadow suggests the feeling is substantial and has the weight of a moment that could go on for longer than just its making. Like a solid presence…it gives comfort, doesn’t it? Even on paper, that weight makes me feel good. Curator: Absolutely. Schoene's artwork shows the strength found in the simple act of appreciating enduring beauty and value, even in scarcity. It resists, even silently. Editor: Okay, okay. Now I want a silver mug. A symbol and, I’ll say, also a really pretty sketch of an everyday item. What’s more revolutionary than loving ordinary, essential things. And knowing their story. Thanks, Richard. Curator: Yes, thank you, Richard! A modest champion of what matters.