Cristo, Carved and Painted, on Black Carved Wooden Cross c. 1937

Editor: Majel Claflin's "Cristo, Carved and Painted, on Black Carved Wooden Cross," made around 1937, presents a somber scene. The figure of Christ, rendered in watercolor, appears vulnerable against the stark, dark cross. What emotional undertones do you perceive in this depiction? Curator: The imagery resonates with the collective memory of sacrifice. Consider the stylized, almost flattened, depiction. What feeling does that evoke in you, beyond the literal representation? It touches upon the idea of an archetype, doesn’t it? Editor: Yes, the flatness and the bold colors give it an almost iconographic feel, distancing it from pure realism. Curator: Precisely. It points towards a reading less about individual suffering and more about universal themes – duty, selflessness. What culture, what individual do you believe she may be representing with the "Black Carved Wooden Cross"? What might the artist want us to retain from the cultural memory embedded in the cross, which may or may not represent christian beliefs. Editor: The black wooden cross really has me questioning everything I thought I knew about this piece. Curator: Think about other recurring motifs like the green and yellow stripes around the waist? Do they resonate? Where do they recur in other artworks across history? By seeing those colors paired you start to remember artworks that used similar visual techniques. We are all, always, making meaning by relating our own memories to those being depicted. Editor: That's interesting, the impact of collective visual memory. This conversation really has provided another way to consider this piece in light of it. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! The layers of meaning embedded in imagery are ever unfolding.