Wooden Rooster 1935 - 1942

Curator: Immediately I'm struck by the almost somber dignity of this fowl. There's something quite arresting in the weight of the form. Editor: Indeed! We're looking at a watercolor painting titled "Wooden Rooster," created by John Davis sometime between 1935 and 1942. It’s a rather charming portrait. Curator: Charming, yes, but also… assertive. The texture—it reminds me of carved wood, as the title suggests, but there’s also a sheen, almost like metal. And those powerful, stumpy feet! What does that stance evoke for you? Editor: Power, certainly, but also the era in which it was made. The 30s were a period of great social upheaval. A rooster is often a symbol of masculine virility but also of stubbornness and resilience. Curator: Precisely! The rooster as a solar symbol, a harbinger of dawn, hope after darkness. It's tied to notions of vigilance and rebirth, deeply embedded in folklore. Editor: Yet the rooster has long been tied to France itself—though rooted in Roman times, its resonance heightened during the French Revolution as an emblem of courage, faith, and, significantly, liberty. I wonder about the artist's intention by portraying it as an object rather than an animal. Curator: Interesting point—does the ‘wooden’ designation perhaps serve as a critical observation? It has me wondering: a critique of rigid ideologies of the time? Are we invited to interpret it as symbolic of social constraints? Editor: Exactly. Davis may have wanted to illustrate that sometimes these masculine ideals of nationhood are a bit silly, too solid, or old-fashioned to properly represent liberty in the face of emerging social and political changes. And maybe that rigidity can be kind of useful! Curator: It's that kind of ambiguity which resonates so profoundly, prompting consideration of identity and cultural memory—both the liberating potential and possible restrictions. I can't seem to decide. Editor: Yes, this work has certainly allowed us to see more in this noble but humorous bird than either of us may have originally thought. Curator: Agreed, an unexpected journey of layers.