Wine Glass 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have Raymond Manupelli’s pencil drawing, "Wine Glass," likely created sometime between 1935 and 1942. It's delicate, and even a little melancholic. What significance might such an everyday object hold in an artwork? Curator: This image invites us to consider the complex relationship between everyday objects and deeper cultural meanings. The wine glass, for example, is more than just a vessel. It carries symbolic weight related to celebration, communion, even decadence depending on the context. Editor: I see what you mean. Like, in religious paintings, a glass of wine takes on a whole other level of meaning, right? Curator: Precisely. And even outside of explicit religious contexts, the symbolism remains. A wine glass, particularly one as detailed as this, might evoke feelings of nostalgia, of a bygone era. What does its fragile, almost ghostly, quality suggest to you? Editor: It makes me think about the passage of time. Like it’s both present and disappearing at the same time. This is a sketch, a thought, carefully drawn on toned paper that has survived close to a century. I guess I didn't realize how powerful even simple objects could be. Curator: Indeed. Manupelli has transformed something ordinary into an emblem of memory and reflection. The glass contains not wine, but a meditation on temporality. We should all look closer at the symbols in our own everyday surroundings. Editor: Absolutely. Thank you, that gives me a new way to appreciate this unassuming drawing.