Bowl c. 1936

Joseph Sudek created this watercolour on paper simply titled, "Bowl." The delicate rendering of a simple bowl invites us to consider how the image creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references. Without a date we can look to institutional histories in the hopes of better understanding it. Sudek was a Czech photographer, so we may want to consider this work within the context of Czech art history, looking for the particular influences of geography, historical events, social class, political movements, or economic structures that might have shaped the artist’s vision. Was Sudek commenting on the social structures of his time? Was he critiquing the institutions of art? As art historians, we turn to research resources to help us contextualize this kind of image. Considering the social and institutional contexts, we ask, what does this bowl hold? And for whom?