Low Boy c. 1940

Curator: Look at this piece, a pencil drawing titled "Low Boy," dating back to about 1940 by Frank Wenger. The name suggests exactly what it is, doesn't it? Editor: It does—though "austere" springs to mind too, and almost foreboding, as odd as that sounds for furniture! Perhaps the careful academic rendering with the medium playing a huge role, lends it that weight. What's catching your eye? Curator: The exquisite detail, of course. The way he captures the wood grain, the hardware... but the placement of decorative design sections. Why show details not integrated in the object? There's almost a story implied there. And the craftsmanship of that turned leg, it's just...chef's kiss. The technical skill speaks volumes about his focus. Editor: Right, you see craftsmanship. I see something almost...industrial. Wenger might be highlighting process rather than aesthetic frills. The rendering, especially, feels almost like a mechanical illustration. And given the era, just before the full swing of wartime production... Did he labor on a factory line perhaps? The repetition is key. It asks what value the handcrafted still holds. Curator: I like your view, but I feel more a resonance with craft. What stories this boy could hold and where he resided through the years. Editor: Exactly! Material things store experiences. This "boy" perhaps outlasted those using and constructing it. But where is that narrative? Why wasn't the wood itself valued by its presence in situ? Was labor cheap and the objects expendable? Curator: And you make a case for "expendable," I hold on to how it was treasured by someone, the craft or the boy. The details, again... So much more. The wood speaks, even with Wenger. Editor: Precisely, both hold potential meanings! Considering production and the hands which touched this from inception to consumer, they all inform these layered insights.