Purse c. 1937

Editor: This is Mabel Ritter’s "Purse," from around 1937, done with watercolor and colored pencil. There’s a whimsical quality to it, almost childlike, and I’m drawn to the textured effect created with the colored pencil. How would you interpret this piece? Curator: Precisely. Let us examine the interplay between form and function evident in this study. Note how the artist employs a limited palette, favoring pastel hues to delineate the subject. The soft washes of watercolor contrast starkly with the defined lines of the colored pencil. Editor: Yes, the lines do create a certain definition where the washes almost blend the details. Is that a visual push-pull that the artist used? Curator: Precisely. It creates visual interest in its materiality. Furthermore, observe the formal construction; the purse, a vessel, becomes more of a study of colour and shape, a two-dimensional exercise prioritizing aesthetic arrangement. Editor: That makes sense, seeing it not just as a purse, but as an exercise in design and execution. The visual treatment supersedes the purpose of the item. Curator: Indeed. By divorcing the object from its functional context, Ritter invites us to consider the essential elements of line, colour, and texture and their semiotic relationship on the plane. A statement regarding the primacy of artistic form, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely! It’s all about seeing the form itself, beyond just the representation of the object. I think I better understand Ritter’s exploration. Curator: I am delighted. This dialogue further enriches one's awareness of this captivating visual approach and its significance.