Doll 1935 - 1942

Curator: Let's consider this artwork by Eugene Croe entitled "Doll," created sometime between 1935 and 1942, employing watercolor and coloured pencil in its making. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It’s a very poised, almost unnerving image. There's something about the doll’s stare that creates an unsettling feeling of being observed. Curator: Right, and within its historical context, depictions of dolls were never simply innocent portrayals of childhood. They often embodied complex social messages regarding ideal femininity and domesticity. How do you feel it holds up in that sense? Editor: Definitely. Her clothing, with its floral patterns, paired with the hat adorned with more flowers and frills suggests the confines within which women were often placed during this period, emphasizing beauty and ornamentation. The very carefully rendered face speaks to the importance of a woman's appearance. Curator: The technique enhances that, don't you think? The artist has employed such meticulous detail with the watercolour and coloured pencils that the doll nearly becomes a real person, subject to real world expectations. It invites discussion on childhood, expectations placed upon girls to embody these future domestic roles. Editor: I agree. The slightly faded effect of the colours lends to it an element of bygone eras. And I would venture that the artist sought to comment on how such idealized visions are inherently unattainable and often isolating. A "Doll" so aptly titled... Curator: Certainly, thinking about art’s broader social role, works like this make visible the underlying cultural codes embedded within seemingly harmless objects. And, perhaps, expose the societal impositions surrounding feminine expectations. Editor: It certainly feels like a starting point for discussions about the ongoing pressures relating to identity formation for young girls and the evolution of gender constructs. Curator: Indeed, a glimpse into the intricate, and perhaps sometimes unsettling, construction of femininity.