Shoemaker's Bench c. 1937

Editor: Here we have "Shoemaker's Bench," a watercolor and drawing from around 1937, by Albert Ryder. I'm immediately drawn to its simplicity. It's just this wooden bench, rendered with so much care... almost tenderness. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Tenderness, yes! You’ve nailed it. For me, this little bench is a poem about craft, about hands shaping materials with purpose and love. Think about the time someone took to construct this thing, and then consider how Ryder chose to memorialize that. Editor: It does feel almost like a portrait of the object. Did Ryder have some connection to shoemaking or woodworking, do you think? Curator: Possibly! More broadly, it feels like a reverence for the tools of labor, that particular strain of Americana that valued ingenuity and practicality above all. Watercolor isn’t exactly known for being rugged, but here it lends this sturdy object a lightness, don’t you think? Almost a ghostly presence. Editor: Absolutely. It makes me think about who might have used this bench. The slight imperfections in the wood grain... it’s full of character. Curator: Exactly! Ryder sees the beauty in the everyday, inviting us to look closer, to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. This little shoemaker's bench isn't just furniture, it's a testament to a way of life. It almost makes you want to learn the cobbler’s trade yourself, right? Editor: It really does. I never thought I could feel so much about… a bench. Curator: Isn’t it brilliant?