Pa. German Squirrel Figurine 1935 - 1942

Curator: A slightly peculiar squirrel, wouldn't you say? It is rendered in watercolor and drawing with a folk-art quality, dating between 1935 and 1942. The piece is titled “Pa. German Squirrel Figurine” and is attributed to Arsen Maralian. Editor: It feels whimsical yet oddly melancholy. The muted tones and somewhat stiff pose give it a strange duality. Is that deliberate, do you think? Curator: The artist's careful consideration of form cannot be ignored, and he shows it through this subject of a popular folk art of that time period, where we can notice that these items were commonly found within the household. The artist’s composition here creates balance. Editor: Absolutely, one observes how the reddish color pops, directing our vision immediately towards the fruit in his hands and creating a sense of anticipation. The structure seems almost geometrically sound and is emphasized through value change to mimic that three-dimensionality of the figure in space, further illustrating the tension the figurine's existence brings forth: an idol of family? Decoration for visual harmony? Curator: We must recall, however, that pieces like these tell larger stories beyond mere decoration. How folk art in Pennsylvania German communities became almost synonymous with expressing cultural identity as a tool of resistance against increasing Anglo-American influence. Editor: Right. So it’s a figure laden with symbolic weight. It makes you consider who might have owned this figure. Why choose a squirrel, and a figure seemingly holding something akin to food or an offering? Curator: Indeed. In observing its execution—the almost reverential quality in its rendering, how the application of the watercolors meticulously traces light and shadow—Maralian may also want us to appreciate craft itself. Editor: I hadn’t considered that, but it definitely reframes how I see the artist engaging with art as object, art as meaning. Curator: These artistic exercises allow our present audiences to consider and learn more about our not too distant cultural experiences in American history. Editor: Yes, this is more than meets the eye! This piece has definitely granted us more depth and thought than the initial mood brought about.