Temperance 2020

Editor: This oil painting, "Temperance," was created by Zoe Hawk in 2020. It gives off this strangely unsettling retro vibe. I find myself intrigued by the title, "Temperance," and wonder how it relates to the scene. What's your read on it? Curator: It's a compelling piece! Looking at it through a historical lens, the imagery suggests a carefully constructed presentation of feminine domesticity. We have this poised woman, meticulously pouring tea, set against a very deliberate composition of color. Is she really tempering anything, or is she enacting the ritual of appearing temperate? Editor: That’s an interesting point. I guess I just saw her pouring tea. What’s the painting hinting at that I'm missing? Curator: Well, think about the historical expectations placed on women. This painting stages itself in direct relation to those. How women have been presented in media, what was allowable, what was celebrated…it’s very calculated. Consider the limited palette, the somewhat stiff pose, the contained interior scene. Everything is highly controlled, perhaps suggesting what’s *not* being shown. Editor: So, maybe the title is ironic? Like, "Temperance" as a performance, not necessarily a reality? Curator: Precisely. And that tension is where the real power of the piece lies, I think. Hawk uses this seemingly simple genre painting to comment on much larger social and political ideas of identity and how women are perceived. Editor: I see that now. Thinking about this “performance of temperance” has changed my reading of the piece entirely. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Considering these aspects enriches our experience of the work. There are multiple layers of reading in a painting.