Composition: Late Evening 1920

Editor: Alfred Robert Hayward's "Composition: Late Evening" is a delicate watercolor drawing of boats at rest. The limited palette creates a somber mood, almost like a memory. What can you tell me about how the materials used contribute to the overall impact? Curator: I see here the labor of maritime industry, in the boats and the anonymous figures that serve them. Consider how the artist's choice of watercolor, a relatively inexpensive and portable medium, democratizes the depiction of work. Does the sketch-like quality imply a disposable nature to both the art and the labor it portrays? Editor: That's a very thought-provoking perspective! I hadn't considered the connection between the art's medium and the subject matter. Curator: Exactly. The materiality of art can reinforce social hierarchies or challenge them.