Slipper c. 1936

Editor: So, this lovely drawing, "Slipper," circa 1936, by Gladys Cook. It's a pencil and paper work, very delicate. The drawing-like depiction adds an almost nostalgic air. What draws your eye to it? Curator: The deliberate depiction of the slipper's form speaks to the artist’s engagement with the culture of fashion and its labor-intensive processes. Notice the subtle rendering of the ribbon. This evokes a reflection of social realities embedded within everyday objects, questioning who makes these objects and for whom. Do you see that connection? Editor: That's interesting. I was initially caught up in the aesthetic, the details, but now I think about what a shoe like that would have meant, who wore it, who made it…the materials, the labor! Curator: Exactly. How does Cook employ the medium of pencil and paper in order to question distinctions between 'fine art' and the more traditionally gendered field of fashion illustration? Does the ephemerality of the materials reflect something about the consumerism tied into fashion itself? Editor: That definitely complicates how I saw it initially! I was seeing it as just this pretty little slipper but the act of creating this piece highlights its consumer function as an object. Almost elevating what might be viewed as functional to fine art and perhaps a little subversive. Curator: Precisely. And we have to acknowledge the implied labor through the choice of medium, drawing compared to painting and sculpture which often held a higher value. Editor: Seeing it from that perspective really gives the artwork new depth! Thank you. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about art this way brings everyday experiences into sharp focus.