Receptacle for Peanut Oil c. 1939

Vera Van Voris created this drawing of a receptacle for peanut oil with what looks like graphite and colored pencil. It’s all about the layering of marks to describe the object. The drawing presents this curious object that is quite detailed. The top looks like a carved handle, flowing down into a rod, and then into stacked, blocky wooden base. The material quality is really there. I can imagine the textures of the wood and the metal. I’m drawn to the base where Van Voris has built up these layers of green and red to give it a worn feeling, like the object has lived a whole life before being rendered here. What’s interesting is that Van Voris was making this during the Index of American Design project, as part of the WPA. They were interested in cataloging and depicting folk art objects in America. There’s something about this impulse to preserve vernacular objects that feels very contemporary. Think about artists like Mike Kelley or even Haim Steinbach, who have been inspired by folk art and found objects. It’s all one conversation!