Marionette 1935 - 1942

Editor: So, this watercolor drawing titled "Marionette," created by Beverly Chichester sometime between 1935 and 1942, is incredibly detailed. It reminds me a little bit of technical drawings, you know, for engineering or architecture, but…way more theatrical? What grabs your attention when you look at it? Curator: Well, you know I'm a sucker for anything that makes me feel something unexpected. I love how Chichester captured the puppet and control bar along with instructions as a unified artwork rather than an exercise in objective rendition. It suggests we're meant to consider what manipulates what; and who pulls the strings. Do you see a kind of dialogue between puppet and puppeteer here? Editor: Definitely. The second head detached on the upper right seems like another form of objectification. This character's fate is sealed since birth, destined for repetitive performances. Almost tragic, maybe? Curator: Perhaps, but what if it is Chichester as puppeteer playing with identity? What does it mean to create yourself as something meant to be manipulated for an audience? Chichester here may suggest an insightful awareness that our outward expressions become shaped through performance... Do you buy it? Editor: That adds an entirely new layer! I was seeing it from the puppet's perspective, but considering the artist's role reverses everything. Curator: Precisely. That tension between creator and creation is what really sparks my imagination when looking at this piece. Art is always about opening these sorts of conversational doors. Editor: I love that, art as an opening to explore these perspectives, so simple but easy to miss, thank you!