Jug c. 1937

Francis Law Durand made this drawing of a jug, we don't know when. It's made with watercolor, graphite, and touches of gouache on paper. What interests me is that Durand painstakingly recreates the jug's surface, making it a kind of portrait. Look closely. The color is built up with thin washes, it's not just a flat brown, but alive with gradations. Durand's mark-making embraces the handmade quality of the jug itself, reflecting its textures, the slight imperfections in its shape, and its rough glaze. It’s kind of a drawing of a drawing, right? See how the light seems to catch on the curves of the jug, how the color shifts from warm to cool? In a way, it reminds me of Morandi's still lifes, where everyday objects become vessels for contemplation, where the simple act of looking becomes a form of meditation. Art's like that jug: a container for ideas, for feelings, for the ongoing conversation we have with the world and with each other.