Table c. 1920

Curator: Standing before us is Donald Deskey’s "Table," created around 1920. Housed here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, it exemplifies Art Deco's elegance through a blend of wood and geometric forms. Editor: It strikes me immediately as very sleek, almost streamlined. The polished wood juxtaposed with the metal feels undeniably modern, almost cold despite the warmth of the wood finish. Curator: The period witnessed immense social and political change—women gaining the vote, the rise of industry, and burgeoning consumerism. Deskey's design resonates with that era's forward-looking dynamism. We can almost view this as a physical manifestation of societal ambitions and power. Editor: Yes, there's a clear embrace of the machine age in the materials and their configuration. Circles, stacked and bisected by gleaming cylinders. The round form carries historical echoes too. The circle as a symbol of unity, eternity… though here, it seems more about the controlled repetition of a shape than its spiritual depth. Curator: Interesting observation. For Deskey and his contemporaries, it wasn't about abandoning symbolism but reimagining it. These clean, strong shapes reflected the modern promise of industry and technology to solve societal problems—perhaps a utopian vision embedded within functional objects. Editor: Perhaps, but it also whispers of luxury, doesn't it? This wouldn’t look out of place in the salon of some wealthy industrialist, the cool steel a deliberate statement of acquired status. Curator: Precisely. The decorative arts often became intertwined with the construction of identity and aspiration. Pieces like this reflect not only a changing aesthetic, but also a shift in power dynamics and consumer aspirations within society. Editor: Ultimately, this piece is more than a mere table. Its polished surfaces seem to hold within them aspirations, class distinctions, and a complex understanding of a society in the throes of defining what ‘modernity’ means. Curator: Indeed, Deskey’s design encapsulates the fascinating complexities inherent in early 20th-century modernism.