Eight Day Marine Clock c. 1938

Here is a painting of an Eight Day Marine Clock by Edward L. Loper, but when was it made? I can imagine the clock ticking in Loper's studio as he painted this piece, and what that might have felt like. The way the forms are carefully outlined, the symmetry of the cannons flanking the clockface...he's definitely thinking about folk art and decorative traditions here, maybe even nautical themes. It makes me think of the Precisionists too. I can imagine Loper standing at his easel, brush in hand, carefully rendering each detail of the clock, from the eagle perched on top to the stars and stripes at the bottom. I wonder if he was thinking about the passage of time, the weight of history, or maybe just the simple beauty of a well-crafted object. The image has a dream-like quality that reminds me of Joseph Cornell. Painters are always looking at other painters, so that makes sense. Loper and Cornell both help us see the world anew, and that's what makes their art so special.