Wood Carving - Profile Face c. 1939

Curator: Well, here's a rather curious piece: a drawing of a wood carving from around 1939. It’s titled “Profile Face” and attributed to Gerard Barnett. Editor: Intriguing. Immediately, I see a juxtaposition of the regal and the rough-hewn. The lion's head evokes heraldry, power, tradition – but the wood itself, the medium, looks like a simple, unvarnished material. It's got an honest quality to it. Curator: Exactly! It reminds me of those old, gothic bestiaries, you know? Imagine finding it in a forgotten corner of a castle, a whimsical guardian watching over dusty secrets. It’s got this peculiar charm. Editor: I’m more interested in how something like this sits between design and craft. This was 1939, on the eve of war. Was this design meant for mass production? Was there a plan for a fleet of fierce wooden beasts? The raw quality also suggests that skilled labor here might be overlooked. What’s valued here: the vision, or the hand? Curator: A provocative question, and certainly food for thought in those pre-war years. Yet, looking at the sensitive lines in this drawing, it feels so alive – almost yearning. I wonder, if the piece could speak, what stories it would tell? Editor: If wood could talk… probably about the axes and chisels involved in shaping it! Consider the forests, the felling of trees, the process of seasoning. This lion carries all those histories, all those human efforts. And this drawing also memorializes Barnett's unique efforts as well, freezing it. Curator: Indeed. It speaks to how materials – and making – become silent witnesses to both grand narratives and deeply personal stories. So, next time you pass an antique carving, think not just of its face, but also its many untold tales. Editor: Well said. I’m left thinking about value. Whose hands, whose vision, do we elevate, and what truly constitutes “art” versus "design"? Food for thought, indeed.