Grape Crusher 1939

Curator: Clarence Secor's "Grape Crusher," created in 1939, is a compelling drawing rendered in charcoal. What are your first thoughts? Editor: There's a beautiful austerity to it. Stark and imposing despite being a simple, everyday object. It possesses a certain rustic quality but the execution also makes it monumental, like a dark monolith of wood. Curator: Considering Secor’s place and time, what social commentary might a simple grape crusher evoke? During the Great Depression, an artwork like this, depicting a basic tool of survival, possibly emphasizes self-reliance and celebrates labor amidst widespread economic struggle. There could be narratives tied to migrant workers in the Californian agricultural industry during that period too. Editor: I agree completely. And viewed from the perspective of materiality, charcoal feels essential here. The medium becomes inextricably linked to the message. Think of the labor involved. And then of course the social importance of grapes for wine making, and wine itself at this time. It's about material processes sustaining social fabrics. Curator: It’s so interesting to note that you mention both process and social fabric. Is there something to be said about Secor centering this image and imbuing it with value? The simple composition prompts viewers to really meditate on it as a tool, and more widely to contemplate labour and means of production at the time. Editor: Exactly, and this leads back to Secor's medium. By utilizing humble charcoal to capture this modest object he brings dignity to the workers' struggles as much as to the raw material that shapes our experience. Curator: Absolutely. It elevates the object while prompting us to interrogate notions of class, economy, and craftsmanship. Secor presents this labor as vital in preserving dignity amidst widespread suffering. Editor: Yes, he really compels us to examine not just what things are, but how and why they come to be and to appreciate what they really mean in our material culture. It makes you really contemplate our contemporary moment, with our relationships to labor and how our goods are created. Curator: It does make me wonder how Secor viewed his role as an artist in that particular political moment. "Grape Crusher" operates as a testament and commentary of an artist alive during their time and grappling with their contemporary conditions. Editor: Precisely, and I find that link to contemporary contexts equally stimulating. This approach deepens not only our understanding of materiality but of broader social meanings too.