Wooden Cross, Carved, Used as Headstone c. 1937

Curator: This watercolor from around 1937 by Majel G. Claflin is titled "Wooden Cross, Carved, Used as Headstone." Isn't it interesting how something so grounded in loss can be rendered with such…delicacy? Editor: It really is. The soft washes of green and brown create a serene, almost dreamlike quality. It definitely mutes the harsher reality of the subject matter. How do you read the stark simplicity of this memorial? Curator: It speaks to a certain plainspoken faith, I think. A marker, yes, but also a testament to remembrance, voyez? Look at the cross itself – the carving, slightly uneven, likely made by hand. This cross feels very human, very immediate, you know? The inscription tells a story – a life spanning from 1846 to 1889. It makes me think of cycles and history… Editor: Yes! And the inclusion of the Spanish "Q.D.E.P" implies this headstone stands in a Spanish speaking community. It really invites you to try and piece together the context of the work, not just in art, but in history and language too. Curator: Precisely! Perhaps Claflin stumbled upon this gravesite while traveling, capturing not just the physical object, but a moment of reflection, an encounter with another culture's way of marking death. Editor: It makes you wonder who Comelia Romero was. This really transcends just being a picture of a headstone, huh? It is like a snapshot into the life, and then death, of a stranger in another time. Curator: Precisely! It certainly gives one a moment to pause and reflect. Even through its fragility. Editor: Well, I certainly learned so much and definitely view it with more dimension now. Thanks!