Mug 1935 - 1942

Curator: Charlotte Winter created this intriguing pencil drawing titled "Mug" sometime between 1935 and 1942. What jumps out at you initially? Editor: Well, I’m immediately drawn to its quietness. It’s so simple, almost ghostly in its delicate lines. Like a memory fading on the page. Curator: I see what you mean. It does have an ephemeral quality, a subtle homage to a utilitarian object. I'm thinking about the paper, and the softness of the pencil. It emphasizes the process, the making visible of something often overlooked. The mug itself, likely used daily, now elevated through this artistic rendering. I wonder about the context – was it wartime? Scarcity elevating even humble objects? Editor: Definitely wartime vibes. This isn't a lavish goblet; it's a workaday mug, and Winter meticulously records every detail. Look at the parallel lines of the rim, the textured band around its belly. She's celebrating craft through drawing. Maybe even reflecting on the communal aspect of sharing a drink from such a vessel, solidarity etched into the graphite. Curator: Absolutely, there's a deliberate attention to form, bordering on geometric abstraction, don't you think? Notice also that small, fainter rendering in the corner, a miniaturized echo or a preparatory sketch perhaps? The artist, however, maintains a precision, a careful observation that prevents the image from drifting into pure abstraction. Editor: True. And that miniaturized version reinforces my materialist perspective. This feels like a record, a document. Less about high art and more about witnessing the everyday. I am seeing labor and care imbued within those pencil strokes. The geometric aspects are also present there, but somehow more simplified as the mug becomes diminutive. The lines have the air of precision and almost technical drafting style! Curator: Indeed. It's an understated yet profound exploration of form, function, and memory through a very muted approach. There is more beyond a mug—almost as if you can fill it with personal emotions or experiences. Editor: Precisely. Winter elevates the mundane to something almost sacred through sheer attentiveness. I am still surprised by this seemingly insignificant, common object that is carefully drawn with an elegant attention.