Metal Vase c. 1937

Editor: So, this drawing, called "Metal Vase" by Harry Mann Waddell, dates from around 1937. It's a pencil drawing, very delicate... almost feels like a study for something else. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Well, as a materialist, I’m drawn to consider this drawing not just as representation, but as evidence of a process. Pencil on paper – it speaks of accessible materials, perhaps mass production. Is the artist exploring the potential of readily available tools to depict a possibly luxurious item, the metal vase? What kind of labor do you think it represents, compared to the creation of the vase itself? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn’t thought about the contrast between the drawing and the actual vase itself, and the labour. So, you're suggesting the drawing might be commenting on consumerism, even back then? Curator: Possibly. Look at the realism – almost photographic. It could be about accessibility, democratizing the 'art object' through reproduction. Or consider the vase itself – its creation, the social status it might imply. Is Waddell exploring the distinction – or perhaps the collapsing – of craft and art in the age of mass production? Do you think the pencil work adds to, or detracts from, the perceived value of the object depicted? Editor: I guess it makes it more accessible because it is ‘just a drawing’. Before you mentioned the labor involved in drawing something like that. Now it got me wondering: how much labour was actually needed for producing such a vase? Curator: Exactly. Exploring these contrasts, from labor to the materials themselves, unveils a deeper understanding of the artwork within its historical and social context. Editor: That's a really helpful way of seeing it. Thinking about materials and labour changes the whole perspective. Curator: Indeed. Now, looking again, consider the implications of depicting an object destined for everyday use with the artistic tool available to pretty much anyone, at the time and even now. Interesting, isn’t it?