Two Tables, One Blond the Other Purple Lacquer, both with Vases and Objects 1800 - 1900

Curator: I am immediately drawn to the muted, almost dreamlike quality of this watercolor. It’s simple, but strangely compelling. Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is entitled "Two Tables, One Blond the Other Purple Lacquer, both with Vases and Objects," likely dating from the 19th century. The artist is currently listed as anonymous. It’s currently held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curator: The composition strikes me as carefully arranged, but almost unsettlingly sparse. The negative space really throws the arrangements into relief. Editor: Well, this work resonates with the surge of interest in Asian aesthetics that was sweeping through Western artistic circles during the time. Objects and items depicted reflected that, which museums collected, catalogued and presented. Curator: Ah, you're speaking to the Orientalist aspects. Do you think this piece reinforces or subverts the typical stereotypes of the era? I see both, actually. Editor: I think it reflects, first, and, perhaps by accident, provides source material to consider a complicated discourse regarding power. I suppose the simplicity allows us to approach such fraught subjects. The question, of course, becomes how Western audiences understood, and consumed, such portrayals of “the Orient.” It shaped perception, policy and... ultimately, reality. Curator: That tension, between perceived reality and imposed identity, really grabs me. It invites questions. What’s truly known about otherness and other cultures is often buried in popular ideas and politics. Editor: Absolutely. Pieces like this offer a lens through which we can examine the public roles of art, their reflection in the market. In the meantime, we must see art beyond aesthetic value. Curator: Thanks, that clarifies much! Editor: My pleasure. Always great to see works that encourage deeper conversation!