Base for Weather Vane c. 1939

Hazel Hyde created this drawing, "Base for Weather Vane", using watercolor and graphite. Immediately, you're drawn to the central form, a symmetrical, stylized rendering of what appears to be a pinecone or a similar botanical structure. The neutral palette—dominated by earth tones and subtle gradations of light and shadow—imbues the piece with a quiet, almost contemplative mood. Consider the interplay between representation and abstraction. While the subject matter is clearly representational, Hyde's treatment borders on abstraction. Lines are simplified, and forms are reduced to their essential components. The artist engages with structuralism, reducing a natural form to its basic structural elements, inviting us to decode its underlying structure through a semiotic lens. Hyde destabilizes the traditional hierarchy between form and function by isolating this element. This piece invites ongoing interpretation, prompting us to consider how we assign meaning to both art and the natural world.