Candlestick (Ecclesiastical) 1939

Editor: So, here we have Edward Jewett's "Candlestick (Ecclesiastical)," done in 1939 using watercolor and drawing techniques. The form is fairly simple, yet the coloration gives it a decorative mood, doesn’t it? What can you tell us about it? Curator: Well, I immediately see an object born of its time, reflecting a shift in the perception of artistic labor. Consider that this is labeled “Ecclesiastical”– traditionally suggesting high art commissioned by the church, crafted by skilled artisans. Yet, here we see a watercolor, a medium often associated with preliminary sketches or “lesser” art forms. Editor: That's a really interesting point about the medium itself challenging those high art assumptions. Curator: Exactly! This piece makes me think about the Arts and Crafts movement’s ideals of valuing handmade objects in response to industrial production. How do we reconcile the function of a candlestick, traditionally produced in metal through skilled craftsmanship, with the democratizing act of depicting it in watercolor, likely rapidly consumed? Editor: I suppose it could be about questioning those hierarchies, and embracing wider access. What I’m gathering is it prompts reflection on who produces art, how they produce it, and the accessibility of artmaking itself. Curator: Precisely! Jewett’s rendering provides us with an opportunity to examine the means of production of the objects and also to analyze how the value of sacred objects transformed with evolving perspectives towards materiality and craft in the 20th century. Does it transform your understanding of the work, knowing this context? Editor: Absolutely! Now it really makes you think about those assumptions surrounding “high art” versus, say, illustration. It definitely broadens my view. Thanks!