Waistcoat c. 1937

Curator: This drawing, titled "Waistcoat," was created around 1937 by Louis Maldarelli. It’s a pencil sketch on paper. What’s your initial reaction? Editor: Austere, and quite linear. The sparseness of the line work and its geometric arrangement make it seem almost…blueprint-like. Curator: Indeed. Looking closely, the light pencil work outlines a waistcoat, but the lower half flares dramatically. There's a definite sense of planned form versus an embellished, flowing form. It almost mocks ideas of elegance. Editor: Given Maldarelli’s known work, can this waistcoat sketch tell us about class, societal roles, and perhaps even the commercial tailoring of the time? Did these design schools restrict the kinds of shapes and expressions acceptable? Curator: It's compelling to consider its social context. One interpretation is that this sketch might be an amateur attempt at the fashion of the era—revealing the stylistic limits imposed at that time, that it may be for personal amusement, far from professional constraints. There's the aging, toned paper too, giving an undeniable feel of being long lost in storage. Editor: Precisely. And look at how the light falls. I wonder about the artist's understanding of form. There seems to be experimentation with shading here. But could we regard this drawing as subversive or even satirical commentary, maybe revealing hidden dynamics in societal appearances? Curator: I lean towards this just being the kind of sketchbook art where designers make mistakes or dream big. The waistcoat as a status symbol… It is difficult to judge because, as the paper bears witness, it feels intensely personal, with no aim to project anything except the love for fashion expression, to paraphrase Roland Barthes. Editor: Its simplicity speaks volumes nonetheless about sartorial expectations. I think in a broader socio-historical context this drawing highlights the tension between fashion and personal expression. Curator: A wonderful thing, an early experiment. Editor: It encourages a great sense of observation from both artistic and cultural points of view.