Church Bench - Wooden c. 1937

Curator: Hmm, this simple bench... there's a certain quiet dignity to it, isn't there? Like an old soul watching the world go by. Editor: Indeed. What you're responding to, I suspect, is rooted in its history. This is "Church Bench - Wooden" by Majel G. Claflin, created around 1937. Claflin, notably, spent a good deal of time in Taos, New Mexico. Curator: Taos! Of course. That explains the light... and the shadows somehow feel... expectant. It's a watercolor, but look at the almost painful detail in the woodgrain! Someone really saw the world through wood. Editor: Precisely! Taos was then, and arguably remains today, a significant artistic hub. Many artists, feeling estranged by the industrialization of American life, went searching for something authentic, and Taos provided it – a direct link to older traditions, simpler forms of life... Curator: Simpler maybe, but not without their own complexities. And to render something as ordinary as a church bench, as Claflin has...it asks, what does "holy" really mean, anyway? I bet this was an outdoor church, nestled somewhere between adobe buildings... Editor: Quite possibly! These benches offered rest, sanctuary…Consider the social role the church played in such communities. Curator: Right – gossip, solace, rebellion, all playing out on the polished surfaces, maybe feeling the sun through stained glass...you can almost hear the whispered prayers and shuffling feet. There's something almost defiant about making *this* the center of the image instead of what was happening *on* the bench! Editor: That is something to ponder—the negative space implying community. And as a watercolor, we have to consider its inherent accessibility. Drawing was and is cheaper and more common, meaning that scenes from everyday life like this could have resonated beyond just those involved in artistic circles. Curator: Which flips the script! So instead of the old masters or fancy landscapes...here's a holy, everyday bench, witnessing life unfold. A true people’s artwork, made humbly, like this pencil stroke. Editor: It reminds us to look around for the sacred in unexpected places, that's what matters here. Thanks for pointing that out, you gave me pause!