Wall Painting 1939

Curator: Here we have Edward Jewett's "Wall Painting" from 1939, rendered with watercolor and tempera on paper. It appears to be an architectural study, focusing on a section of a wall with decorative elements. Editor: My first impression is that this piece feels incredibly delicate, almost ghostly. The pale colors and soft lines give it a sense of transience, like a fading memory of a grand interior. Curator: Absolutely, that air of faded grandeur is compelling. Knowing this was created in 1939, on the cusp of World War II, what meanings can we find by understanding interior design as a kind of material, domestic archive, one under constant threat from a radically changing outside world? I wonder what conversations Jewett was having about interior spaces during the interwar period? Editor: It’s fascinating to consider the socio-political undercurrents influencing interior design then. Certainly, the ideal of domestic comfort and security that architectural drawings tend to celebrate, becomes a powerful, even anxious theme. Curator: And look closely at that vine detail, juxtaposed to the white column. Is it a deliberate reclaiming of the rigid geometry of interior spaces, maybe signalling that something natural will overgrow, overwhelm what once was? It presents nature reclaiming cultivated interior spaces, a subtle form of resistance to rigid formalism. Editor: I hadn’t considered it as resistance, but I see that potential now. My focus was on the architectural detail; the fluted column, the precise rendering. The technique, watercolor and tempera, underscores the control but also... its potential undoing. Curator: Precisely. This control and fragility are powerful juxtapositions. As we've discussed, art created during periods of instability tends to echo collective anxieties, anxieties that this piece quietly amplifies. Editor: Indeed, reflecting the uncertainty and impermanence that were increasingly shaping life and the home. It is an intriguing study that blends quiet hope, quiet ambition, and imminent chaos. Curator: Thanks to this conversation, it prompts reflection on interiority, identity and resistance, all captured within a seemingly simple wall. Editor: I agree. It reminds me how deeply history resonates, even within the hushed tones of a watercolor.