Barber Pole c. 1939

Editor: Here we have Vera Van Voris' "Barber Pole," dating to around 1939, executed in watercolor and drawing media. I'm struck by the contrast between the bright stripes and the rough-hewn base. What's your read on this? Curator: This rendering highlights the means of production tied to commercial symbolism. Barber poles, beyond their iconic status, speak to a very specific service economy, reliant on skilled labor. Consider the materials, watercolor and drawing—they create a distanced remove. It isn't the *thing* itself, but a representation of mass-produced commercial signage. Editor: So you're saying it's less about the artistic skill and more about what the pole *represents* in society? Curator: Precisely. It asks us to consider how consumer culture pervades even seemingly mundane objects. Was this pole directly drawn from an existing commercial pole, or rendered from memory? Think about how Van Voris’ process influences the piece. Editor: That makes me wonder about her choice of materials. Why watercolor instead of, say, oil paint? Curator: Watercolour’s translucence allows light to travel through, imitating the cheapness of mass produced painted objects, it emulates the low cost aesthetic of commercial signage and labour practices, subtly alluding to their accessibility and saturation of common everyday lives. Is Van Voris pointing out the blurring lines between artistic mediums and commercial processes? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t considered the economic aspect of artistic medium at all! It is also like a readymade, a common commodity presented in fine art aesthetic terms! Curator: Exactly, it pushes beyond aesthetics, examining how consumerism intertwines with art and life. Editor: Well, now I see this everyday object in a completely different light.