White Porcelain Vase c. 1937

Editor: So, this is Josephine Lindley’s "White Porcelain Vase," from around 1937, made with watercolor and pencil on paper. It’s such a delicate drawing, almost dreamlike in its muted tones. What sort of reading do you give it? Curator: I see this drawing as a study, perhaps for mass production. Notice how Lindley surrounds the central image with smaller, variant studies, almost like testing grounds. Does the vase itself strike you as particularly innovative or modern? Editor: Not particularly. It feels like a pretty standard floral motif, something you'd find in any department store. Curator: Exactly. So the interesting thing becomes her act of replication. Does this image possess more aura in isolation or in the marketplace? Do you feel a different connection knowing its purpose wasn't purely aesthetic? The surrounding floral decoration almost presents it as if for sale, consider the psychology embedded. Editor: That’s a really interesting point. Knowing it was possibly meant for mass production almost strips it of some of its perceived artistic value, replacing that instead with, perhaps, commentary. Does this say something about the symbols that are created for mass culture? Curator: Precisely. By focusing on such an object, Lindley perhaps draws our attention to the commodification of beauty, the standardization of what we deem 'artistic.' Are those dainty little daisies potent enough? Editor: That really shifts my perspective on it. What initially felt like a simple drawing now feels like it holds some important weight to it. It encourages you to think about more. Curator: Symbols work that way, often initially blending into the background noise before we become attuned to their deeper frequencies.