Flags on 57th Street, Winter 1918

Curator: Ah, yes. Here we have Childe Hassam’s “Flags on 57th Street, Winter,” painted in 1918. It's currently held at the New York Historical Society. An iconic cityscape rendered in oil. What’s your first take on it? Editor: Windy, brisk, and patriotic. The composition just shimmers with movement, almost like you can hear the flags snapping in the cold air and feel the chill on your face! Curator: The series to which this painting belongs has a rich socio-political context, showing how deeply involved Hassam was with representing public life. America had entered World War I the year before, and these flags… Editor: Instantly transform the image into a bold declaration of national pride and resilience, right? But there's something else. Looking closer, the brushstrokes are so fluid, capturing light and shadow so delicately, almost melancholically. Curator: Interesting, because it's crucial to remember the function of displaying the American flag: mobilizing patriotic fervor during wartime and unifying public support. What makes his particular vision distinct from propagandistic uses of the flag? Editor: I think he captures something of the human spirit beneath the propaganda. It isn't jingoistic, it doesn’t blare a message at you; instead, there's an undercurrent of… uncertainty? That subdued palette of whites and grays reflects, perhaps, the sacrifices and anxieties simmering beneath the surface during wartime. The city doesn’t feel celebratory, it feels determined. Curator: Indeed, Hassam consciously avoids the glorification of warfare, instead celebrating everyday civic life during these moments, while simultaneously incorporating a very subtle critique. Editor: It is truly striking, the ability of art to be both a part of something like wartime national unity, and also separate. It gives such resonance to this snapshot of urban life in the early 20th century. Curator: Hassam's work certainly encourages a nuanced view. It presents American identity as complex. Editor: Makes you wonder how those complexities play out in our time. Flags are still loaded symbols.