Candle Mold 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is "Candle Mold," a pencil and etching drawing by Edith Magnette made sometime between 1935 and 1942. It's very technical and precise; the different perspectives almost give it the feeling of a blueprint. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: The drawing immediately makes me consider the process of candle making and its relationship to domestic labor in the 1930s. Magnette painstakingly renders this mold, this *tool*, and elevates it to art. What was candle-making like at the time? Was it primarily a household task, or more industrial? The level of detail in the rendering suggests a deep engagement with the object and perhaps, by extension, the labor connected to it. Editor: So, you see the value not just in the final artwork but also in how it relates to production. That's interesting because most people may consider art far from such utilitarian tasks. What does this challenge of “high art” versus everyday craft mean here? Curator: Exactly! This work makes us question these boundaries. We might usually separate “Art” from everyday objects. But look closely. Pencil and etching aren’t naturally precious materials. It's through labor and careful study – and here we mean both Edith’s act of drawing as labor, as well as imagining the labor needed for making multiple candles using this mould - that the artist transforms a commonplace object. Perhaps Edith, through the act of precisely drawing such an utilitarian, yet complex, object she observed the value that we wouldn’t consider from just glancing at candles. What do you make of the repeated geometric shapes? Editor: I see your point now! Focusing on the material and process reveals a deeper story. The geometry might even hint at the standardization of labor emerging then. Thank you! Curator: Indeed! The process and context really shift our appreciation. It invites us to appreciate labor!