Toy Bank: Policeman c. 1939

Curator: So, let's talk about this watercolor drawing. It's called "Toy Bank: Policeman," and it's from around 1939 by Walter Hochstrasser. Editor: He looks…deflated. Not quite imposing, despite the uniform and truncheon. There’s something about that gaze, or the slight downturn of his mouth... Curator: Yes! There's a subtle melancholy there, isn't there? The caricature style really emphasizes it. It's a portrait of a toy, essentially. All rendered in watercolor. Notice how the light catches the contours of the figure. There are also these subtle browns and coppers mixing with the overall blue which is particularly captivating to the eye. Editor: The color palette is intriguing. The blues create a sense of order and authority, obviously alluding to the subject of the policeman. But that’s subtly undermined by the artist. See how he is not just solid blue but incorporates all these flecks of copper or brown in his outfit and his face. It creates a kind of mottled effect that speaks against total order, and gives it some nuance, complexity... Curator: Exactly! And it is on paper. The choice to portray a potentially solid, heavy object—a toy bank presumably made of metal—using delicate watercolors is quite a compelling paradox, don't you think? It's like taking something serious and making it feel approachable. Editor: Or making something functional and transforming it into something purely representational. It’s now all surface and sheen. I can’t help but think there’s a commentary about power dynamics embedded here. Especially with the oversized boots on him... Curator: A lot of Hochstrasser's work from this period is focused on portraiture and caricature. This really seems to explore ideas around authority and even childhood memories. Editor: It almost invites us to reconsider what power looks like and where it resides, especially through the eyes of someone playing with this as a toy bank. Almost like reimagining the figures who we once thought possessed unwavering influence as flawed, and subject to time… fading as we all eventually do. Curator: Beautifully said! It leaves me thinking about the transience of symbols of authority and the layers of meaning an image can hold, just in a humble, little watercolour of a policeman.