Figurehead 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have "Figurehead," a wooden sculpture likely crafted between 1935 and 1942. I'm immediately struck by the almost jaunty angle, the blue jacket, and the upward gaze of the figure. It projects a sense of aspiration, maybe? How do you read this piece? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this "Figurehead" beyond just a nautical object. Think about what kind of power structures were literally and figuratively being "carried" by ships during this period. This man in his bourgeois attire embodies a certain ideal, a promise, doesn't he? But for whom was that promise intended? And who was excluded from that vision of progress? Editor: So, you’re saying we should think about the politics of representation inherent in the sculpture itself? Curator: Exactly! The very concept of a "figurehead" speaks to projecting a specific image, masking perhaps the realities of colonialism, trade, or even exploitation that might be associated with the ship it adorned. We can't separate this dapper gentleman from the socio-political context in which he was created and the message he was designed to send. Editor: That’s a completely different way of seeing it. I was caught up in the apparent optimism but I hadn’t considered the loaded history that it could represent. It certainly puts a new spin on that upward gaze. Curator: Yes, questioning whose gaze this figure is reflecting, and what structures of power are embedded within that upward trajectory, becomes crucial. Even his formal attire implies a particular social stratum. Editor: I guess it's a reminder that art never exists in a vacuum and has embedded political and ideological references. Thank you; I’ll never look at figureheads the same way. Curator: And that critical engagement is precisely how we ensure art remains relevant and speaks to the complexities of our world today.