Rabbet Plane 1938

Editor: So, here we have Clarence Secor's "Rabbet Plane," a drawing in pencil and watercolor from 1938. What strikes me is the way the artist has meticulously rendered the texture of the wood, yet there is another ghostly drawing nearby that appears unfinished. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The work engages on a level of semiotics and structural relations. The representation of the plane, first and foremost, calls attention to itself. Its being: What is represented is itself, its form, its components and function are subordinate to that reality. And there is its structural coupling in tension: two versions on a single picture plane but in different states, both complete and incomplete simultaneously, but always mutually exclusively present and absent. Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered the two drawings in terms of being complete or incomplete, but what do you mean by structural coupling and tension? Curator: Notice the differing levels of realism. We see the artist’s command over rendering realistic, three-dimensional form, compared to the linear sketch alongside. The sketch offers an "idea" of the object versus its "truth". They work together while being very distinct, in tension, creating this subtle dissonance, that is neither representation alone nor truth alone. They stand in direct and binary relation to each other. Editor: I see! It’s the tension between those two versions that brings a new awareness to what would otherwise be a fairly straightforward drawing of a tool. So the artwork’s success is really in that composition? Curator: Precisely. By considering the intrinsic visual relationship between the different elements on the canvas, we understand what creates meaning, not the mere objects themselves. Editor: I learned a lot today. It will influence the way I observe all art going forward. Thank you! Curator: An attention to structural relationships enables powerful observations. I find that I also appreciate the rendering even more so with the fresh vantage point!