Weather Vane c. 1938

Editor: Okay, next up we have Beverly Chichester’s "Weather Vane" from around 1938, done with pencil, colored pencil, and charcoal. I find it quite striking, its focus on an everyday object using such distinct media…What's your initial take on this drawing? Curator: Well, this artwork speaks volumes about the intersection of folk art, industrial aesthetics, and American regionalism. The weather vane, typically a functional object found atop barns and buildings, is re-contextualized through Chichester's artistic lens. What do you think the act of depicting this specific object meant in that socio-political context? Editor: I suppose during that time, focusing on the rural, on the vernacular, was a way to sort of ground oneself in a national identity amidst wider global instability? Curator: Precisely. The late 1930s, the shadow of the Great Depression and impending war loomed. There was a strong desire to celebrate distinctly American subjects. And who had access to these depictions of the rural life? Were they democratically distributed? Editor: Probably mainly those with gallery access in cities, or who could afford reproductions, highlighting a potential disconnect between the subject and the audience. Curator: Exactly. Furthermore, the choice of rendering this ordinary object with sophisticated artistic techniques such as charcoal and colored pencil elevates its status, imbuing it with an artistic and potentially even national significance. A working-class emblem now made art, yet seen mostly by other elites. What a concept. Editor: That makes the artwork more poignant now. I originally saw simplicity, but now there are so many layers of socio-economic implications embedded in this one image. Curator: Exactly. And by analyzing the distribution of art we uncover a web of societal norms, priorities, and underlying messages.