Vase c. 1936

Editor: So, this mixed-media drawing is entitled "Vase," created by John Dana around 1936. It's quite striking, with its deep red hues and elegant, almost geometric design. The whole image gives me a slightly melancholic feeling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oh, I get a touch of that too. This vase feels like a memory, doesn’t it? Like a fragment salvaged from a glamorous party long ago. It’s more than just a still life; the slightly uneven line work and the way the red bleeds just a bit outside the form create a sense of longing, perhaps. It’s as though the artist is capturing not just the vase itself but also its essence, its history… perhaps even its future. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way! The "history, future..." That’s really interesting. It’s such a simple subject matter, but you're right, there is something evocative about it. I suppose the shading and blending techniques used make the vase feel…almost ghostly. Curator: Precisely. And the choice of materials – the contrast between the sharp lines of the charcoal and the softer, blended color of the mixed media creates a lovely tension. The imperfection almost allows our minds to fill in the gaps, to create our own stories about the piece and its origins. Do you find that you invent a back story to accompany it? Editor: Totally! I see it sitting on a piano in a dimly lit room filled with smoke and secrets. Curator: A fitting vision. For me, it speaks of fleeting moments of beauty. It really reminds us that the value in such an everyday thing such as a vase comes with what it carries, and how it makes us feel, even when that thing is only ever captured in a quick drawing, or maybe even in our minds’ eye. Editor: I’m going to carry that feeling with me!