Tin Measuring Cup c. 1939

Editor: So this is Russell Madole's "Tin Measuring Cup," made around 1939, with watercolor and drawing media. It has a nostalgic, almost haunting quality, focusing on the mundane and overlooked. What stories do you think it tells? Curator: This cup whispers of labor and sustenance. It's a humdrum object imbued with significance through the artist's careful rendering. The rust and wear speak of countless uses. What might that have measured, metaphorically speaking? Time? Effort? Scarcity? Editor: Those are great metaphors! Thinking about that era, did the measuring cup have any political meanings, given it was during the Depression era? Curator: Potentially. It could allude to the kitchen as a site of female labor, its routine mirrored in the precise, almost reverential, depiction. During times of economic hardship, a measuring cup would be an item of great importance. In other words, it is about rationing and planning, of making do. Think of "cup" and its resonance of both containing and portioning—measuring hope perhaps. Editor: Interesting, so something so banal carries all these possible readings of memory. What symbols stand out most? Curator: Notice the tarnished spots. They aren't just blemishes. They’re symbols of use and age. The imperfect lip indicates this isn't some pristine object but something well-loved. It’s about realism, but through what’s implied beyond pure representation. Don’t you see hints of your grandmother's kitchen? The psychological weight in it? Editor: Now that you point it out, I do. I never thought an object could tell a life story, just from watercolours. Curator: Precisely! Artists frequently see things in ordinary objects. We all must learn to use the eyes of a poet!