Stoneware Mug c. 1939

Editor: Here we have Carl Buergerniss's watercolor drawing of a "Stoneware Mug," created around 1939. It's rendered with such careful detail. What's interesting is the subject itself – a very ordinary object, almost…banal. What do you make of that choice, and how do you interpret its meaning? Curator: The apparent 'banality' is precisely the point, isn't it? An artwork depicting something so utilitarian during that time, around 1939, invites us to consider the role of the everyday object, especially through periods of widespread hardship such as the depression era. Was Buergerniss looking at, perhaps even idealizing, functional objects and their relationship with national identity? Editor: So, the mug is elevated somehow. How does its portrayal intersect with political sentiments? Curator: Perhaps, or perhaps the image suggests other things: The mug, carefully rendered, gains value and prompts us to question its role within our lives. Is it merely functional? Does the act of depicting it imbue it with further symbolic meaning? By choosing this subject, Buergerniss might have encouraged viewers to see the intrinsic value in the simplest aspects of life amidst social upheaval. What kind of consumer are you in a moment like that? Editor: I see what you mean! I hadn't considered how this very simple thing speaks volumes about value, social position and daily rituals. Thanks! Curator: It really makes you consider what imagery, no matter how quotidian, survives to represent that generation. And that has real political ramifications.