Candle Snuffer 1935 - 1942

Curator: Immediately, it feels so humble, doesn't it? Something so domestic, almost a portrait of silence and utility. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is Florence Stevenson's rendering of a "Candle Snuffer," dating from approximately 1935 to 1942. Executed with watercolor and drawing techniques, its realist style encourages a certain contemplation. Curator: Realist for sure, but with such soft, muted tones, and the detail…it’s a celebration of the everyday. Does it invite reflection upon the subtle craft and presence, or should I call it aura, surrounding objects designed to eliminate light? So philosophical. Editor: Precisely, Florence’s attention to structure is notable. Note how the interplay of forms –the rectangular extinguishing section, the sphere connecting, the sharp point of the needle, the open loops of the scissor-like handle– each balances function and elegance. This gives each aspect equal compositional weight and harmony. Curator: Elegance in a candle snuffer! It almost seems ironic. All that beautiful ornamentation on something designed to…end things. The colour palette really reinforces this for me—ochre and the delicate watercolour texture suggest age, or maybe forgotten moments. And a certain decay perhaps…the light will be back tomorrow anyway! Editor: A valid emotional reading. From my perspective, Stevenson skillfully manipulated colour value for spatial rendition; brighter pigments mark where surfaces supposedly reflect more illumination, in comparison to gradations suggesting plane recession away from direct light, therefore giving this snuffer tangible volume and definition. Curator: Volume and definition indeed. But volume toward what purpose? You just end up snuffing it all away into inky smoke! Editor: In considering how her meticulous technique serves an engagement with simple, tangible form, Stevenson shows the viewer that even items conceived around necessity can elicit imaginative exploration and formal sensitivity. Curator: Exactly. In its humble depiction of such a small-time thing, a life extinguished for another life to carry on lighting candles—this artwork feels like more than itself, more that its elements even, I find myself lost thinking what happens between existences and realities and worlds and candle snuffers. I hope others reflect, too.