Stoneware Jar c. 1937

This “Stoneware Jar” was made by Annie B. Johnston, but we don’t know exactly when. Look at how the image is rendered. It’s so smooth and even, like she’s trying to recreate the feel of the actual stoneware. The texture is all visual; there's a soft glow, like she built up the color slowly in layers. It reminds me of early color photography, where the focus was on capturing the light just right. Notice the way the color shifts slightly from warm to cool? It gives the jar a subtle depth, making it feel like it could almost be touched. The drawing reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, who also used simple shapes and muted colors to create a sense of calm and contemplation. But where Martin was all about abstraction, Johnston grounds us in the everyday. It’s a quiet, beautiful conversation across time.