Mirror c. 1941

Curator: This is Roberta Elvis’s "Mirror," a mixed-media piece made around 1941. It’s quite a curious rendering, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Intensely so! My first impression is that of a broken antique. The cracked surface where a reflection should be seems so brittle, almost desolate. The small nautical scene on top adds a strangely incongruous element of hopeful journey. Curator: Absolutely. It’s a fascinating interplay of dilapidation and aspirational imagery. Elvis presents this drawing on paper almost like an elevation. Her intention could be purely commercial, a concept for potential patrons or manufacture. Alternatively, the work could present a deeper social critique, as Elvis designed interiors, perhaps this elevation served as social commentary for the classes which often afforded mirrored art. Editor: Or perhaps about access more broadly. Consider how mirrored spaces and objects can become exclusionary through taste, class and institutional setting. In that context, the ship becomes emblematic of that limited movement – both social mobility but also physical displacement of people in a period defined by migration. This could even signal Elvis's attitude towards interior design, perhaps she had frustrations in this period due to these types of inequities. Curator: A sharp interpretation! And consider Elvis's place within art history. Academic art institutions of the 1940s were far less open than contemporary ones, particularly for women. For her, a “mirror” may signal a professional barrier to entry as well. Editor: Yes, the artwork functions as more than its surface suggests. The imagined reflections are shattered but the scene depicted in the boat seems to suggest dreams or desired voyages and freedom of movement and place. It is complex to consider what the message would be for patrons. Was Elvis playing to the wealthy or subtly reminding patrons that they must use their freedom for the common good of others? Curator: It is a beautiful dance between aesthetics and ethics. Editor: Absolutely. I appreciate the nuance we discovered through this work!