Bench 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have Hal Blakeley’s “Bench,” created sometime between 1935 and 1942 using watercolor on paper. I'm immediately struck by its stillness. The simple form of the bench against the stark background makes it feel very… deliberate. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Deliberate is a great word for it. To me, this isn’t just a bench; it’s a captured moment, an echo of simpler times. Blakeley wasn’t just documenting an object; he was immortalizing the quiet comfort a simple, well-worn piece of furniture can bring. It's as if he's asking us to consider: What stories has this bench silently witnessed? Did children clamber all over it? Were quiet conversations shared on it, secrets whispered? The loose style and almost translucent application of watercolour only heightens this sensation. The wood almost seems to glow. What does the texture suggest to you? Editor: It makes me think of something aged and authentic, not mass-produced. Like it belongs in a cozy, sun-drenched farmhouse. Does that connect with anything known about the time the artist was painting this? Curator: Precisely! During the 30s and 40s, there was a strong nostalgic streak running through art, architecture and design, driven partly by economic hardship and uncertainty, partly by the war that engulfed Europe and parts of Asia. Comfort was drawn from idealized images of an apparently more wholesome past. And like those farmhouses you mention, each mark of the brush, is not just detail, it is character. This seemingly mundane bench transcends mere function, becoming a vessel of history, memory, and simple human connection. Isn’t that the enchanting trick of art – transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary? Editor: That makes so much sense now. It’s more than just a picture of a bench. I’ll definitely look at everyday objects differently from now on. Curator: And that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? To see the extraordinary within the ordinary and cherish the subtle narrative held within.