Carved Picture Frame Molding c. 1938

Editor: This is Vera Van Voris’s "Carved Picture Frame Molding," circa 1938, a drawing rendered with tempera and watercolor. It's striking how the fragment of the frame, almost floating on the aged paper, evokes a sense of both precision and incompleteness. What can you tell me about this seemingly simple subject? Curator: It's a powerful image, isn't it? Van Voris gives us not just a frame, but a fragment, a clue. Consider the socio-economic context of the late 1930s: the Great Depression still looming large. Does this isolated fragment speak to a sense of loss, of projects unfinished, or perhaps the limitations placed on artistic creation during times of scarcity? Editor: I hadn't thought about it in relation to the Depression. I was focused more on the artistic skill evident in rendering the wood grain so realistically. Curator: The realism is important, yes, but consider how realism itself can be a political choice. During this period, artists were often grappling with questions of accessibility: Who gets to understand and appreciate art? Does realism, with its recognizable imagery, offer a more democratic visual language compared to, say, abstraction? Editor: That's a fascinating point. So, the act of depicting something ordinary like a frame becomes a statement in itself? Curator: Precisely! And, think about the role of framing. What is being included, what is being excluded? Perhaps Van Voris is prompting us to think critically about what we deem worthy of attention, both in art and in life. This isn’t just a frame; it's a commentary on the act of framing itself, on power, and on perspective. What kind of perspective do you think Van Voris has to frame a framing like this? Editor: Wow, I’ll definitely look at frames differently now. Thank you for making me reconsider such a basic object. Curator: Absolutely. Art is a reflection of the society and our perspectives can enlighten our present.