Clock 1936

Curator: Hello and welcome. Here we have Lawrence Phillips’ "Clock," a decorative drawing from 1936 rendered in coloured pencil. What’s your initial reaction to it? Editor: Well, immediately it feels a bit whimsical and melancholic, like a forgotten stage prop from a very genteel puppet show. The muted tones and decorative floral elements are quite lovely but suggest perhaps the artist had a subtle unease regarding time and beauty, and our relationship with those forces. Curator: That’s interesting. The decorative arts movement certainly grappled with those ideas, responding to industrialization with handcrafted beauty intended for the everyday. It's like it's trying to redeem domesticity through its application in a common item like the clock. The flowered decoration could express the comfort to be found in the slow change of seasons, not mechanical time, and the futility of time. Editor: Yes! I find that tension compelling. I’m intrigued by what appears to be a small picture frame set at the bottom—another captured moment nestled within time’s relentless march. It looks a bit like looking into a very foggy or dusty memory. Did Phillips work primarily in drawing or in different media? Curator: Phillips was primarily a draftsman, so this level of detail is typical. One thing that this drawing also makes me think about, is the role the home plays in giving meaning and providing comfort in our everyday lives. How does time work and play differently in a private space compared to a public one? It’s worth remembering that this artwork was made during the interwar years. So many expectations were disrupted for millions. And clocks mark our lives! Birthdays, weddings...death. So a flowered and decorated clock offers a kind of promise, one the public clock may not deliver on. Editor: A private ritual amidst a public crisis – that resonates deeply! Almost a declaration of autonomy, adorning the domestic space. So, for me, seeing this drawing really boils down to reclaiming personal time, transforming it with flowers and care so it is not a relentless thing of pressure and despair. Thank you! Curator: A beautiful note on which to conclude. Thank you.