Clock c. 1938

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this intriguing work titled "Clock," a watercolor drawing rendered around 1938 by Lawrence Phillips. Editor: My first thought? Quiet elegance. It’s simple, really, but the subtle colour palette gives off an air of serenity, a certain measured peace. It feels…comforting, in a very still way. Curator: It's a study in realism, depicting, as you say, with great care, what I believe to be a grandfather clock. The execution is meticulous, down to the detailing of the wood grain and the floral embellishments around the clock face. I wonder if it was created during an era when many tradesmen would show drawings or samples before actually creating an object, as advertising was far more restricted then. Editor: True, it could very well be! The accuracy makes me want to see it sitting against a chintz wallpaper, doesn’t it? To be a true portal. Do you think there's a melancholic sense here, considering it marks the relentless tick-tock? The ephemerality of being? Curator: Time, of course, can be seen as both the subject and perhaps a subtle theme, since one may reflect on industrialisation that caused shifts to schedules and expectations in both life and art. The very style speaks to this precision of timekeeping; it emphasizes control and order. This object stands as an example of domestic time. Editor: I wonder, if it were a digital clock rendered the same way, would we receive it the same? There's a gravity to these machines that just evokes something of significance. But that nostalgia could blind. Curator: The image reminds us of time, perhaps also lost time and even the changing nature of art patronage over the period it was produced. Editor: Exactly! It is time we made some progress with our conversation... before our own time is up.