Mahogany Clock c. 1936

Curator: Look at this, I see an echo of my grandmother’s living room. Editor: Right? It does have that nostalgic warmth to it. What we’re looking at is Carl Buergerniss's "Mahogany Clock," created around 1936 using watercolor and coloured pencils. It's a captivating depiction. What strikes me is how the drawing mimics the idealized, almost dreamlike landscapes that were becoming more nostalgic during periods of industrialisation. Curator: Yes! Like peering through a memory. There is something a bit old world, like I stepped through the looking glass and I'm waiting for tea. I appreciate the patience involved in using pencils and watercolours. Editor: And you see that detail within the medium and execution! Beyond the craft itself, I am curious to delve into the symbolism of a clock during this era, and to situate this piece within both its temporal context and larger, perhaps generational dynamics that were shaping our relation to industrial life in general. There is a strong dialogue here with what constitutes work and what constitutes leisure and what one can mean for or do to the other! Curator: It almost mocks time itself, in a way. Is it meant to control us? Does it just gently tell us, guide us? It feels less dictatorial and more… I don’t know, benevolent. Almost cute! Editor: Perhaps it's reflecting anxieties around changing labour practices through something seemingly innocent? In viewing Buergerniss's clock, we see a confluence of art, labour and representation itself as being inextricably linked to these debates in powerful, complex ways! The drawing really offers such insights, which makes the use of seemingly mundane subjects all the more extraordinary. Curator: Absolutely. Buergerniss, with just pencils and watercolours, gave us not just a pretty picture but a silent story—a reflection of a past, of fleeting seconds and years, where the only constant is the gentle passing of time. It's a poignant and pretty little world trapped inside those wooden beams. Editor: Absolutely, and hopefully the tools of critical inquiry open new vantage points to deepen the dialogue with those complex entanglements as it brings fresh angles and layers into focus. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure! Thanks for reminding us to slow down and remember.