Jug c. 1936 - 1938

Nicholas Amantea made this Jug by hand, and you can almost feel the pressure of his fingers as he worked. It’s a muted palette, mostly grey and brown with some soft blue floral designs painted onto the rounded body of the jug. I love how he’s included a smaller, ghostlier version of the jug floating above the main one, as if to say, ‘here it is again, but from another angle, another viewpoint.’ It reminds me of Picasso and Braque and their cubist experiments. The flowers are so charming and folksy. They remind me that art doesn't have to be ‘highbrow’ to be moving or meaningful. I imagine Amantea carefully applying each brushstroke, thinking about the tradition of decorative arts and folk crafts that came before him. It makes me think about all the painters who came before me and how we’re all in this big, messy conversation together, inspiring each other across time and space.