Trivet c. 1941

Editor: We're looking at "Trivet," a pencil drawing from around 1941 by Ardella Watkins. The rendering is so precise, and it's really making me consider everyday objects in a new way. What do you make of the choice of subject and its symbolic implications? Curator: Ah, a seemingly humble object, yet teeming with silent narratives! A trivet, by definition, protects surfaces from heat. But what else does it safeguard? Consider its undulating apertures – do they not echo waves, perhaps of hearth warmth, a primal symbol of home, security? Editor: I see what you mean! Like a small fortress for a teapot! Curator: Precisely! Watkins elevates this protector to an emblem of domestic stability, created during a period of global instability, around 1941. Are we viewing a universal longing crystallized in graphite? Doesn't it almost become an icon, a charm against the chaos? Editor: That’s a powerful idea, the idea of domesticity as a haven. So the geometric shape, repeated waves - they become like prayers for order. Curator: Exactly. Each line and carefully rendered shadow whispers of constancy and comfort, a visual invocation against uncertainty. What do you make of its stark presentation against the blank paper? Editor: It emphasizes the object's solitary existence, as if its function is purely self-contained, without context or relation to other items. But considering its role as protector, the missing element makes me think of *what* needs protecting. Curator: A poignant absence. Watkins encourages us to contemplate what we hold sacred and wish to defend against the currents of time and circumstance. Editor: Thinking about the object this way opens up new layers of meaning! Thank you! Curator: It's a pleasure to uncover these hidden iconographies, prompting fresh awareness and reverence for the things we often overlook!