Tilyou's Steeplechase 1932

Curator: Here we have "Tilyou's Steeplechase," a 1932 pencil drawing by Phyllis (Pele) De Lappe. It appears to be a print. What's your first impression? Editor: Wow, the overall feeling is so strange. It's like a blurry dream mixed with the faint echo of carnival music. A slightly disturbing and off-kilter depiction of pure fun, wouldn't you say? Curator: Precisely. I find it compelling to situate this work within the historical context of the Great Depression. Coney Island offered a form of escapism, yet De Lappe captures it with a delicate melancholy, reflecting a tension between pleasure and the socio-economic realities of the era. Note the use of light and shadow; it’s about so much more than a mere rendition of an amusement park. Editor: That huge, grinning face overlooking everything makes me shudder slightly. It feels very cynical. There's something very Edward Gorey about the feeling that you are about to fall into a story with a darker ending than expected. It does really show how even spaces of 'escape' like this can't fully hide from what’s going on beyond the park. Curator: Yes! The almost satirical rendering can be interpreted as a commentary on the nature of manufactured joy and the ways in which society attempts to distract from systemic inequalities. And even further, how it disproportionately affects specific segments of the population. De Lappe uses a 'realistic' style to, perhaps ironically, expose the hyperreality of these entertainment environments. Editor: I am thinking now about that contrast, you know? These pencil lines and grey washes are almost brutally honest; it is the opposite of gaudy and carefree... It really subverts that initial, happy idea you'd expect when someone says 'Coney Island'! A beautiful work! I think it takes you places! Curator: I concur. It compels a necessary, critical inquiry into how we understand leisure and its connection to broader power dynamics.