Desk 1935 - 1942

Curator: What immediately strikes me about this work is its rather unassuming elegance. It feels very still and reserved. Editor: Agreed. We’re looking at a pencil drawing by Bernard Gussow, created sometime between 1935 and 1942, titled "Desk." Curator: Desk as in, the place for labor, for writing? The rigidity and geometric style almost seems to resist the more fluid associations with the activity of writing. I find myself thinking about power structures inherent in those who possess such desks, especially in this historical period. Editor: It’s an interesting point. Consider the historical context – the late 1930s and early 40s. The linearity and precision can also reflect the increasing rationalization of labor happening in this era. We have two views presented, one of the desk straight-on, and another in profile. Curator: The multiple cubbyholes, each potentially holding some crucial document or personal artifact, feels almost like an architectural rendering of memory and record-keeping. How were desks like these seen as status objects at the time? Editor: Certainly as emblems of authority, industry, and the efficient management of information. The materials involved – presumably valuable woods – signified economic standing. One also wonders about who had access, especially women during this period? What forms of knowledge production were limited to these spaces? Curator: It's like a miniature bureaucracy captured in lines. Perhaps that central locked door within the upper section further restricts who has ultimate control, who dictates what should and shouldn't be made public. This drawing of a desk raises critical questions about space, access, and the gendered politics of intellectual and administrative labor. Editor: Indeed, viewing this "Desk," we see more than mere furniture; we uncover stories of influence, and societal frameworks woven within the grain. I agree with you, that while simple on the surface, the Gussow drawing speaks volumes about the politics and social dynamics ingrained within art itself. Curator: So, the next time we see an object like this, perhaps we will also reflect upon who wields such desks, the labor happening at such places and also consider those often kept outside such enclosures. Editor: I appreciate your perspective. Thanks.