Thread Winds c. 1937

Curator: We’re looking at “Thread Winds,” a pencil drawing by Michael Fenga, created around 1937. Editor: It's strangely calming. The muted pastel hues against the stark background give it an almost dreamlike quality, despite the peculiar arrangement of objects. Curator: Fenga's personal history is unfortunately rather obscure. While not much is publicly known about his social circles or influences, what intrigues me is this quiet disruption of common symbols in interwar America. We're seeing a reconfiguring of symbolic languages. What stories do you think he may be whispering? Editor: Visually, I'm drawn to the deliberate, almost mechanical, way the objects are placed. The linear quality of the drawing emphasizes the space between the forms. Curator: Consider the placement of these seemingly disconnected objects - a wheel, puzzle piece-like shapes, a soft cushion, and finally, a fish. What connections do they share in a period grappling with vast political divides? Is the "Thread" a possible link or just alluding to tenuous connections in societies fragmented by social-political-economic division? Editor: Each element also appears distinctly flat and almost lifeless, yet there is something intriguing with the symmetry within that. I agree, perhaps we are supposed to observe the distance between each object instead of any intentional connectivity. Curator: I think we can also read this through a feminist lens. Were the domestic objects coded as gendered objects by Fenga? I'd venture that they represent social-gendered relations, speaking perhaps to the isolation and fragmentation women may have felt between their identities as caregivers and subjects desiring individuality during that period. Editor: And thinking more about the interplay of color and space – how does that feed into those potential gender dynamics that you highlight? The gentle gradations create a tension that really is palpable, like held-in breath. Curator: Absolutely. This understated and quiet symbolic revolt and play provides insight into interwar anxiety while engaging gender discourse. Editor: Indeed. I now leave feeling oddly provoked despite the seeming harmless nature of the assembly.