Grandfather Clock, Angular View 1937

Curator: Immediately, I feel this quiet sense of anticipation. Editor: That's interesting. Let's contextualize this. What we're seeing here is a watercolor and ink drawing titled "Grandfather Clock, Angular View" by Dana Bartlett, created in 1937. Curator: Yes, the cool watercolor tones give the wood grain an almost dreamlike quality. It stands alone, centered, demanding our attention. It feels frozen. It reminds me of a still from a film. What could it signify, divorced from any lived interior? Editor: Grandfather clocks were historically symbols of status and tradition, deeply rooted in domesticity. Representing wealth, family history, lineage. This work, created during the Depression, perhaps subtly reflects that time. With traditional sources of wealth uncertain, family traditions themselves are becoming uncertain too. This feels like a time capsule from that particular cultural context. Curator: The fact that it's not a photograph, but a meticulously rendered watercolor, adds another layer. Bartlett didn't simply capture the clock; they chose to recreate it, imbueing it with a symbolic charge that’s simultaneously faithful to its cultural meaning, while also distancing itself. This begs a deeper exploration of the symbolic meaning, it transcends the representation of the clock as a physical object. The depiction becomes almost a fetishized image of bourgeois security. Editor: The choice to feature it on a stark background highlights the period. It forces the viewer to confront the object directly and contemplate its role within the American narrative. The era also informs this "straight photography" approach, the geometric focus also indicates it. We’re viewing the world during a time of immense social upheaval, a nation reassessing itself. The presence of this clock in such a setting opens doors for cultural and political exploration. Curator: Precisely. As an artifact, it embodies much more than mere function. In an era defined by constant uncertainty, Bartlett has frozen an enduring totem that persists in our cultural consciousness even today. Editor: Well said. This piece resonates as both a historical document and a psychological landscape, prompting us to reflect on what endures and what fades.