Roosevelt Library 1947

Curator: This is Olin Dows's "Roosevelt Library," a coloured-pencil drawing from 1947, also presented as a print. It depicts the library nestled within a winter landscape. Editor: It feels quite…stark. The limited palette of grays, whites, and browns emphasizes the bareness of the winter season. Those trees dominating the foreground have a powerful presence, almost framing the building itself. Curator: Precisely. Dow’s work, especially his murals, often reflect his interest in public spaces and the shaping of American identity. Considering this work, I believe its worth is rooted in the representation of this important landmark as a place accessible to ordinary people. Editor: That's a fair reading. For me, I'm struck by the almost graphic quality to the drawing; it reminds me of WPA prints. Do you think this style was intended to speak to that generation? A deliberate attempt to connect with them through familiar artistic language? Curator: It's plausible. Dows did serve in the Treasury Relief Art Project during the New Deal era. However, I would focus on his emphasis of specific forms. Observe how his color and composition choices invite interpretation around American political ideology and institutions. Editor: It also emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship and the value of this drawing’s existence. What paper did he choose, I wonder, and how did that specific pencil perform in his hands? Curator: These observations bring in so many ideas: Dows' personal history, political themes, and also questions of labor that relate both to his individual output and the artistic productions that led to and sustained cultural life around Roosevelt's politics. Editor: And looking again at it now I do see his focus on what he is constructing, and I appreciate it more with that insight. Curator: Indeed. A simple drawing yields layered meaning upon closer consideration. Editor: Exactly. An understated yet powerful commentary through this blend of art and historical documentation.