Clock c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Lawrence Phillips’ “Clock,” created around 1936 using colored pencils. The level of detail is impressive! I am struck by the way it feels so still, despite depicting something that's supposed to measure the passing of time. What can you tell us about this artwork? Curator: Considering its time of creation, we might view this work through the lens of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency that employed artists to create visual records of American design and culture. Does this context alter how you perceive the artwork? Editor: That's interesting! So, it’s less about the clock itself and more about documenting it as a specific object from a specific era. I suppose it makes sense since many artists at the time depicted industrial subjects. But how does that connect with something as domestic as a clock? Curator: It suggests the artist or the agency considered it culturally significant, perhaps representing middle-class values of order and punctuality during a period of immense economic instability. We also have to consider the influence that art and architecture from prior generations has over the current socio-economic moment, or lack thereof. Did you pick up on the fact that it's a pendulum clock with a rather antique design, despite being created in the 1930s? What do you make of the artistic choices used by the artist? Editor: That is something I had noticed, yes, but I hadn’t fully considered its influence over socio-economic stability in that era. I like the color scheme though; there’s warmth. It isn’t necessarily an outstanding piece, but I appreciate what Phillips and the WPA were trying to achieve here. I wonder if there were some inherent biases when curating pieces such as these in order to give a particular impression of the socioeconomic background of the era... Curator: I think it would be interesting to explore exactly that. There may be quite a fascinating dissertation topic hiding here, and there’s always value in further interrogation of archival resources and biases when exploring any art period.. Thanks for this thoughtful discussion!