Figurehead c. 1938

Curator: Today we're looking at "Figurehead," a carving from around 1938 by Elizabeth Moutal. What's grabbing you first? Editor: He seems stern. A kind of sober judgement radiating off of him. I keep expecting him to start lecturing me! Curator: Given the title, "Figurehead," it's easy to imagine its original placement on a ship. The selection of wood suggests resilience against the elements and is important culturally. This piece serves as both art object and functional, possibly even symbolic item. What are your thoughts on her choice of materials? Editor: I imagine the wood gives a weightiness, but paradoxically lightness to the piece, given the waves he probably sailed on. But something in the gouged texture of the wood makes it seem… unfinished. Curator: That "unfinished" aspect could also be understood as evidence of labor, couldn't it? A record of the artist's process, the tools she used and how she engaged with them? Rather than disguising the carving process, she left it visible. Editor: That's an interesting way to look at it, a mark of labor, literally etched into the man’s face. Almost like he’s earned his… sternness? There is a roughness to the final piece but the wood-grain flows and defines every curve. There’s such beauty in that juxtaposition, that inherent tension, wouldn't you agree? Curator: I do. It invites us to consider the relationship between representation and raw material, the process, the maker, and the culture that uses and values it. It also gives insight into artistic communities and cultural exchange, which often occur through craft. It prompts us to reconsider how we classify these objects. Editor: Ultimately, “Figurehead” is beautiful and strong in all senses. Elizabeth Moutal's “Figurehead" is really speaking to the endurance of human experience. Curator: Precisely.