Cast Iron Pillar 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is Vera Van Voris's "Cast Iron Pillar," created between 1935 and 1942. It seems to be rendered using drawing and watercolor techniques, possibly on paper. It has this strangely muted quality. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, immediately I think about power structures, the very foundation upon which societal norms are built. Consider the era this was created: The Depression, brewing tensions before WWII… Editor: Yes? Curator: The stoic face adorning the pillar, almost a mask. What does it conceal, and what is it meant to project? And consider that pillars usually support something. So, what is being upheld here? Is Van Voris celebrating or critiquing the authority it represents? Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn’t thought about it that way. The rendering gives a solidity, but it's only on paper, so the artist can still challenge the structure of power that it depicts. Curator: Precisely! The artistic choice is itself a comment. Think, too, about accessibility: pillars are usually grandiose, but in drawing them on paper, there's something approachable here. Is she trying to democratize these traditional power structures somehow, open them to scrutiny? Editor: So, it becomes almost like a call to examine these structures, and our relationship to them. To tear down the pillars of injustice, so to speak. Curator: Exactly. This seemingly simple drawing becomes a potent invitation for social awareness. Editor: This has made me realize how powerful art can be when seen within historical and political contexts. Curator: Indeed. It invites us to deconstruct, to question, and ultimately, to reimagine.