Labor Truce c. 1941

Editor: This is "Labor Truce," a pencil and graphite drawing from around 1941 by Francis Sumner Merritt. The scene feels somber, almost secretive; these two men are huddled together, seemingly in intense conversation. What do you read into this work? Curator: Somber, yes, but also…resolute? I see the weight of the world etched into their faces. Merritt really captures the hands, doesn't he? Look at how they grasp, a truce perhaps, but a binding one nonetheless. There's an industrial landscape hinted at in the background... makes you wonder what those guys are working. Editor: I hadn't noticed the hands so much at first. What's interesting to me is the tension – they’re together, but almost wary. Are we meant to understand this within a wider social or political context of labor relations at the time? Curator: Absolutely! This would be around the time of World War II, the US being the "Arsenal of Democracy". But remember, pre-war America also knew the Depression, union movements, sit-down strikes, strife! This image is dense, suggestive. To me it captures that push and pull - strength in solidarity with the backdrop of national industry. A complex story with so much suggested yet also, carefully left unsaid by Merritt. What do you think of his realism? Editor: It’s quite direct, almost stark. It grounds the piece in a specific time, a reality. Though the way the background is only sketched in...it’s like memory, hazy but impactful. Thanks, I'm looking at it entirely differently now. Curator: It's like poetry isn't it, a pencil line can evoke a whole universe if the intention is true! This piece whispers secrets, invites you in and ultimately, it holds onto it's quietude and complexity.