Clock c. 1939

Leonard Battee made this clock, or rather, a rendering of a clock with paint on something like paper. The browns are warm, like a woodshop, but also flat and dull like the memory of one. I can imagine him squinting at the real object, trying to capture the essence of its form and the way the light reflects off its surface. Did he feel trapped by the need to be accurate, or freed by the chance to turn one thing into another? I wonder if the artist wanted to stop time, to freeze a moment, or to create something timeless. The clock face is fascinating. Roman numerals surround its circumference, whilst at the centre two hands meet. I feel as if the artist's intention was to let time slip into art, reminding me that art is also about being present. Artists are always responding to each other, across time and space. You can feel echoes of all the paintings that have come before in this one, and it will in turn resonate with those that come after. There’s no fixed meaning, just an ongoing conversation.