The Anniversary – Accessories – Scarf with Evening Purse, Orchid Corsage and Glove 1971

Joan Brown's "The Anniversary - Accessories - Scarf with Evening Purse, Orchid Corsage and Glove," made with oil on canvas, presents a fascinating interplay between the readymade and the handmade. The floral scarf, meticulously rendered, contrasts with the sharply geometric handbag, its weave-like texture an illusion created through paint. Brown’s brushstrokes mimic the mass-produced, yet her hand is ever-present, disrupting the potential for perfect replication. The glove, too, with its delicate embellishments, speaks of labor – both the unseen hands that produced it, and Brown’s own artistic toil. The painting's composition, seemingly straightforward, is in fact a carefully constructed tableau. The objects, elevated to the status of art, invite us to consider their social significance. These were commodities, produced and consumed within a capitalist economy. Brown is asking us to look closely at what it means to be handmade, and what it means to buy and sell. Ultimately, Brown challenges the hierarchy between fine art and craft, prompting us to appreciate the skill and thought embedded in both.