Silver Cup c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Hester Duany's "Silver Cup," created around 1936, rendered in graphite and pencil. The sketch-like quality and the detail devoted to a simple object is striking. What do you make of its presentation? Curator: The drawing is quiet, yet complex. I see a subtle critique of consumer culture embedded in this seemingly simple depiction. Consider its date. The 1930s were marked by the Great Depression, challenging prevailing ideas of capitalist excess. Editor: I hadn't thought of that. So, by meticulously drawing a simple cup, she's commenting on something bigger? Curator: Precisely. Duany might be subtly interrogating the value we place on material objects during a time of economic hardship. Moreover, a silver cup, by its nature, denotes a certain level of luxury. But here, rendered plainly, its status is somewhat… deflated. Does that reading sit well with you? Editor: Yes, especially given the added sketches – a miniature of the cup with dimensions and another showing an initial. It's like a study, a record. Curator: A record perhaps of a changing social landscape and also artistic explorations. Think about how everyday objects are gendered, too. Whose hand would usually hold such an object, in that era? What does it mean to represent it this way? Editor: This has completely altered my perception of the artwork. What I saw as a straightforward still life, I now see as a rich reflection of its socio-historical context. Curator: And how our contemporary view is equally informed by changing cultural landscapes.