Woman's Shoe c. 1936

Editor: This is "Woman's Shoe," a drawing by Roberta Spicer from around 1936. It looks like a pencil sketch on toned paper. It feels…delicate, almost like a memory. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, "delicate" is a wonderful word for it. I see the ghost of a shoe, don't you? Almost translucent, barely there. It's the *idea* of a shoe more than the shoe itself, and that to me speaks volumes. It’s as if Spicer has captured the essence of fleeting fashion, of something lovely and precious on its way to disappearing. Does the rendering remind you of anything? Editor: Now that you mention it, it's like looking at an old design blueprint or maybe something you’d find tucked into the pages of a vintage magazine. Are the other shoes there in pencil only to allow for comparison? Curator: Exactly! And consider this: Spicer wasn't just drawing a shoe; she was documenting a moment in time, a certain kind of elegance. This wasn’t mass-produced footwear; this was something special, considered. What does that mean to you? Editor: I guess it feels more personal than if it were, say, a photograph. You can sense the artist's hand, the way they’ve chosen to emphasize certain details. The curve of the heel, the line of the laces... Curator: Precisely! It's intimate, isn't it? We're invited into her thought process, her way of seeing. And there’s something inherently poignant about capturing something so everyday, yet transforming it into something beautiful and enduring. Editor: I never thought I could find a shoe drawing so thought-provoking! Thanks for pointing out so many dimensions. Curator: My pleasure! It is fascinating how even the simplest sketch may become a meditation on time, memory and design.