Jar c. 1936

Charles Caseau made this watercolor painting of a jar in the United States. At first glance, it seems simple, but the act of depicting everyday objects speaks to a broader cultural interest in the beauty of the mundane. We can find examples of this from still-life painting of the Dutch Golden Age, up to Pop Art. It also speaks to the growth of consumer culture, where the shapes, colours, and fonts on the packaging becomes an aesthetic experience in and of itself. Looking at how Caseau used the watercolour, we can see the influence of more traditional artistic training on the making of this artwork, a system of art education that was gradually being replaced by more experimental models at the time. By researching the artist's life and the institutional context in which he worked, we can learn more about the value society places on the production and consumption of art.