Mitt c. 1938

Editor: Here we have Marie Alain’s "Mitt," likely from around 1938. It's a delicate rendering in pencil and watercolor on paper. The presentation is sparse, isolating the object…it’s a bit ghostly, don't you think? What’s your take on this understated piece? Curator: Ghostly, yes, precisely! But not in a morbid way, more like a memory fading in sunlight. It whispers of elegance long gone. See how Alain captures the sheerness of the glove, the hint of flesh beneath? And the details in the cuff, rendered with such love and almost botanical precision? It reminds me of pressed flowers in an old diary. Do you see the little row of seed pearls? Editor: I did notice the cuff, and it looked beaded. It’s interesting you use the term "love" to describe it… what does that entail for you? Curator: It's the focused dedication to detail, an artist noticing the nuanced world of accessories. Gloves back then weren’t merely practical. They were signifiers of social class and markers of taste and propriety. Alain almost enshrines the accessory, hinting that this "mitt" deserves reverence in its way. In fact, my great grandmother had a similar one, the lace edges tingly to the touch like frozen sea foam... what emotions does the glove awaken for you? Editor: Interesting! Honestly, the glove seems so removed from function that it almost seems silly. But knowing that it’s trying to embody reverence gives it a different weight. Curator: Perhaps we all yearn to grant some objects such careful observation... and it’s up to art to ask what objects, feelings, or longings call for that attention. Editor: I like the way you've helped me understand it can ask those questions. It takes away the pressure to be a final statement. Curator: And perhaps that's all any artwork aspires to do. Thank you.