Small Sheep Weather Vane 1935 - 1942

Curator: Before us is "Small Sheep Weather Vane," a watercolor and pencil drawing created between 1935 and 1942 by Mildred E. Bent, an artist associated with the Regionalism movement. Editor: Oh, my! Doesn't that little sheep just exude... resilience? It's such a grounded figure. Like a tiny, woolly stoic contemplating existential wind patterns. Curator: Well, stoicism in sheep, as in humans, is shaped by very real socioeconomic conditions. Bent created this during the Depression era, and Regionalism itself was in part a response to those harsh realities, a turning inward to American scenes. How do you think that context informs the piece? Editor: Hmm, I think it might just have this beautiful, austere simplicity. The colors are muted, but that gives a sort of grounded weightiness to it. It almost feels carved from the earth, solid, a reminder that beauty can be found even when resources are scarce, you know? Like it's silently bleating, "I'm still here, still woolly, still weathering it all." Curator: That's beautifully put. Considering Regionalism’s focus on everyday life in rural America, we might also explore how the weather vane itself symbolizes both practicality and aspiration. Farmers, of course, need to know wind direction. And more metaphorically, doesn't a weather vane hint at guidance and adapting to the ever-shifting forces around us? Editor: Absolutely. And, look, maybe it’s just me, but I see humor in it, too. Like, here's this wee sheep, stubbornly pointing its nose into the breeze, completely unfazed by the tempest, looking almost daring in its little-sheep way, almost taunting at the wind. You're a weather vane after my own heart, sheep. Curator: I see your point! That quiet defiance is powerful. I think that's a vital observation – especially if we remember that Regionalism can also be seen as resisting dominant artistic trends of the time that mostly ignored depictions of daily toil in smaller communities. Editor: Well, looking at this drawing…it’s definitely making me wanna write a very dramatic poem about a brave, woolly weather forecaster. It's all quite affecting, isn't it? Makes me rethink my views of ovine resilience. Curator: Absolutely. Mildred Bent uses such humble subjects to make poignant statements.