Hitching Post c. 1937

Editor: So, here we have Walter Hochstrasser's "Hitching Post," dating back to around 1937. It's a drawing, and it strikes me as… well, rather unsettling in its depiction. What's your read on this work? Curator: Unsettling, yes, it has that effect. You know, I often wonder about the intentions of artists delving into caricature, especially when it treads such sensitive ground. This piece is clearly rooted in a particular time and place, echoing folk art traditions, but it also carries the weight of racial stereotypes that were unfortunately prevalent then. I find myself both fascinated and deeply uncomfortable looking at it. It's a stark reminder of the visual language used to dehumanize people. Do you get a sense of the object's original context affecting your reading? Editor: Absolutely. Knowing it’s from the late 30s changes everything. It's difficult to separate the artistry from the historical context. I mean, the bright colors and almost cartoonish exaggeration initially feel almost…playful, but that quickly fades. Curator: Exactly! And it's that dissonance – the visual appeal clashing with the uncomfortable subject matter – that makes it such a potent and disturbing image. Does that encourage you to see a world more fully beyond first impressions? Editor: Definitely. I guess art can be beautiful and ugly, and all the messy things in between. Thanks for shedding light on such difficult work. Curator: The pleasure's all mine. This one just makes my mind race!