Pitcher c. 1937

John Dana made this watercolour of a pitcher, and it's interesting how he uses just one colour, grey, to make something so descriptive. It's like he’s figuring out how to paint as he goes, you can see the process. The painting is all about the physical quality of the pitcher. Look at how the light bounces off those circular bumps around the middle, it’s almost sculptural. The watercolour is transparent, so you see layers building up. There are these lovely drippy bits which suggest a looseness of touch, that Dana wasn’t afraid to let the medium do its thing. The handle is pure elegance, a real contrast to the bolder shapes of the pitcher's body. This reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi, another artist who could make something profound out of humble vessels. It makes you realize that art is like a conversation, artists riffing off each other across time, and that there’s no one right way to see things, just different angles.