Untitled (shoe store interior) c. 1940

Editor: Here we have John Deusing's "Untitled (shoe store interior)" photograph. The rows and rows of boxes create this intense feeling of… order? What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: It's like stepping into a memory, isn't it? The sheer volume of shoes, each in their little cardboard home, whispers of endless possibilities, of finding the perfect fit, both literally and figuratively. It's almost dreamlike, isn't it? Editor: Definitely! A dreamlike sense of searching. Curator: And that upper display…it feels like a stage set, a performance of commerce, almost absurd in its presentation. It's a quirky, quiet story. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way, but I see it now! Curator: Art often holds a mirror to ourselves, and sometimes to our shoes!