Plate c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Beverly Chichester's "Plate," made around 1936, a watercolor and colored pencil drawing of a plate. The shells along the rim make me think of coastal life, a vacation memento maybe. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I think you're right to pick up on the seaside evocations. It’s fascinating to consider the historical context. In the 1930s, while the Great Depression gripped the nation, seaside imagery offered a powerful form of escapism, especially for those with means. Plates such as these could be both a symbol of leisure and class division. What do you make of the building represented? Does that say something to you? Editor: I hadn't really considered it in that way! I see a grand building and people, which definitely emphasizes wealth and privilege... so this plate serves almost as a status symbol, a painted one anyway? Curator: Exactly! And it challenges us to think about the function of art, not just as aesthetic beauty, but also as a reflection, or even a subtle form of perpetuation, of social structures. The very act of depicting this scene on a plate intended for domestic display invites a critical consideration of power dynamics and leisure, right? Who is consuming and who is not? Editor: That’s such a compelling point. It turns a seemingly innocent landscape into something much more complex. It makes you consider that this plate could be someone's subtle reminder of social position. Curator: It’s in those complexities where art becomes really powerful. It encourages dialogue and invites critical consideration of ourselves in relationship to the broader cultural environment. What starts as a pretty picture opens doors to conversations about inequality, history and memory. Editor: It certainly does. Now I am seeing much more in this unassuming little plate. Thank you!