Bonnet c. 1942

Curator: This engaging drawing, entitled "Bonnet", was crafted around 1942 by Stella Mosher using colored pencils. What’s your immediate impression? Editor: Well, immediately I’m struck by the almost ghostly presence of these pink bonnets. It evokes a certain… vulnerability, wouldn't you say? It’s strangely haunting. Curator: The application of colour here is quite masterful, actually. Note how Mosher uses varied tones of pink, strategically layering to create volume and suggest different textures, all the more so given the chosen medium. Editor: Precisely! But do you think that layering has a significance beyond the purely aesthetic? The period context seems pertinent; it was wartime. Was Mosher perhaps contemplating women’s roles or children, themes particularly pertinent to such garments? Curator: A definite possibility. I think that understanding these images, however simple they look, in the social and cultural context of World War II, might add a layer of understanding. Though, even devoid of historical associations, look how the artist is almost playful with rendering ruffles and the bonnet's silhouette, using it to almost overwhelm the composition. Editor: The larger bonnet almost has the effect of shrouding and containing something within, possibly the role and treatment of children and mothers during war. But I take your point; from a structuralist perspective, we're presented with repeated motifs – the bow, the ruffle – arranged with varying emphasis, contributing to the formal dynamics of the image. It would certainly be informative to look at any archives and notebooks. Curator: Indeed! Well, thinking about its shape, use and technique offers us avenues for further interpretations, from intimate insights to broader social readings. Editor: I concur; reflecting on the context brings another depth to the formal elements we began with. A rewarding look at art’s enduring echoes and possibilities.