Weather Vane Finial c. 1937

Editor: We're looking at "Weather Vane Finial," a pencil drawing from around 1937 by Milton Grubstein. There's something so grounding about a simple sketch, and the detail in this one feels quite loving. What catches your eye? Curator: Oh, "loving" is the perfect word. It makes me wonder about Grubstein, hunched over his sketchbook, painstakingly rendering each feather. It’s not just a study; it’s almost a portrait, don’t you think? I see patience and reverence in those graphite strokes. Almost as if he understood that capturing something familiar could reveal deeper truths. The humble chicken elevated to an object of art – a weather vane! Isn’t that brilliant? It shows how beauty is available to be perceived in our daily environments if we truly stop and notice. Editor: I agree. It really invites a slower looking. Do you see any particular influences? Curator: Absolutely. It’s very much a product of its time, steeped in that WPA era fascination with American craftsmanship. And there’s something inherently ‘American’ about the subject too – farm life, self-reliance… yet elevated with almost baroque flourishes in the tail. I mean, the geometry contrasts the light pencil work! And, don’t overlook his meticulous notations; the architectural measuring is an extension of his observations that serve the dual role of art and artefact! Editor: The architectural touches are intriguing. That shifts my perspective from seeing it solely as art. Curator: Right? Art shouldn't simply reflect our current thinking; it should challenge and even reshape it! Perhaps now we might appreciate its quiet sophistication a little more.