Interior with Round Boxes
/Dewitt Hardy
1973
American, b. 1940
Watercolor on paper
Museum Purchase through a grant from The Ledger and with memorial funds
Polk Museum of Art Permanent Collection 1974.6
Here, Hardy presents us with what we might call a “genre scene.” Genre scenes are works of art that present seemingly mundane moments of everyday life. From the title of the painting to the skewed perspective from which we observe the room, the composition suggests that the female figure seated with her back facing toward us is secondary to the other objects and props in the space. Yes, this is without a doubt an “interior with round boxes,” but is that truly what this painting is about? While the boxes filled with fruit are foregrounded, with one apple set separately on the table along with three spoons, we as attentive viewers must wonder about the barefoot woman on the rocking chair. She sits in a spare space, turned away from us, with her arms crossed over her lap. Her head is shifted over her left shoulder. What is going on here? What is the story behind this moment in time?