Side Show 1937

Curator: Right, let's delve into this intriguing piece by Philip Cheney, titled "Side Show," created in 1937. It's a print, a medium Cheney seemed to master. Editor: Mastered indeed! My first thought? Slightly unnerving. Like a backstage pass to a dream, or maybe a forgotten memory from childhood. All in monochrome, like an old movie reel. Curator: It captures a moment, a performance poised to begin or perhaps already unfolding, examining the relationship between the performers and the gawking public at such events during the depression-era. Editor: That audience, though! It's the real side show, isn’t it? All those faces...some eager, some suspicious. It really gets at the voyeurism and the judgment inherent in spectacles, I think. Are we the observed here, too? Curator: That is a valid point. This era held complicated tensions between the viewer and the viewed; between socio-economic backgrounds. The traveling show became one of the only methods in which people would travel and intermingle with people that lived vastly different lives. Editor: Absolutely, and that stark lighting emphasizes the divide. Makes me think about what it means to *see* something—and what it means to *be seen.* There is an erotic, surrealist feeling too, almost like a fever dream or nightmare. Curator: Yes, the almost dreamlike staging underscores its societal commentary. What strikes me is how Cheney utilized caricature-esque form to both portray his subjects and push societal critique. Editor: It certainly sticks with you. Gives you this unsettling feeling long after you've moved on, questioning what side of the "show" you are on. Curator: Indeed. It's a layered work. A simple pencil sketch evokes very powerful statements.