Spur c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Robert Taylor’s "Spur," created around 1936 using watercolor and charcoal. It's such a detailed and precise rendering of, well, a spur! What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: The choice of representing something as loaded as a spur is fascinating, particularly when we consider the social landscape of the 1930s. A spur isn’t merely a functional object; it’s deeply entwined with notions of the American West, masculinity, and even power dynamics. This object represents labor, exploitation, and human dominance over other creatures. Editor: Exploitation, really? It's just a tool, isn’t it? Curator: Indeed. But we cannot divorce this 'tool' from its impact. Think of the historical and contemporary realities of farm workers and ranch hands; consider the animal cruelty connected to rodeos and other events romanticizing a "wild west". What purpose does celebrating the aesthetics of a spur serve if we remain blind to these broader, deeply entrenched issues? What about the power structures at play here? Editor: So you're saying this realistic depiction almost sanitizes the violence inherent in the spur’s function? Curator: Exactly. It invites a certain nostalgia, even idealization, of a history we should be critically examining. How do you feel, as a young observer, when seeing art evoking "western" pride in contemporary museums, galleries or auctions? Editor: I get what you mean. I didn't really think about it at first. It seems to reveal a really critical lens on seemingly innocuous objects. I am keen to apply that in future artworks I analyze. Curator: It is essential to consider the silences, the absences, in art as well. And to understand whose stories are amplified and whose are deliberately or inadvertently ignored. I find such practice empowering, what about you?