Economy Pie Plate c. 1937

Editor: So, this is Edward White’s "Economy Pie Plate," done around 1937, using watercolor and drawing. It's just a simple depiction of a pie plate, but there is a comforting, homey feeling. How would you interpret it? Curator: What strikes me is the title juxtaposed with the medium. Watercolor, a traditionally 'fine art' medium, is used to depict a utilitarian object: an "economy" pie plate. How does elevating this humble, mass-produced item challenge our traditional art historical categories? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't thought about it like that. So you're saying that the act of creating a detailed drawing of a common dish challenges the definition of ‘art’? Curator: Exactly! Think about the 1930s: mass production, the Depression. Everyday objects were becoming standardized, divorced from craft. White focuses our attention back on this specific object, immortalizing its design, but also making us reflect on its place in the American home and marketplace. What can we infer about class, labor, or domestic life? Editor: Maybe he's highlighting the beauty that can be found in everyday items, and it is an interesting social statement. Almost elevating its social status, immortalized in an art gallery? Curator: Precisely. By depicting something mass-produced with such detail and care, White prompts us to consider the value of labor, even that involved in the creation of something seemingly insignificant. What statement is the artist trying to make here by emphasizing labor? Editor: It’s almost as if he's giving the plate a sense of personality that transcends the humble clay and simple production. I am never going to look at a basic watercolour the same way. Curator: Indeed, and consider the labor involved in watercolor itself. A materialist reading reveals that both the subject and the process invite us to value traditionally marginalized forms of labor.