Flask 1935 - 1942

Curator: Here, we have "Flask," a drawing in ink, made sometime between 1935 and 1942, by John Tarantino. Editor: Huh, the starkness hits me first. Simple black lines on a white background – it feels very… elemental. It also reminds me, just so randomly, of a cartoon-y genie's bottle that could hold any magical liquid one might want! Curator: I understand completely. Look at how the line quality varies; thick and confident in places, then thin and tentative elsewhere. Consider this use of line, it establishes the volume and subtle shifts in form of the flask itself, and a semiotic reading reveals both positive and negative space, a testament to how shape impacts our perceptions. Editor: Well said, truly. Yet there is also something very 'not quite there' in the asymmetry, you know? It's like the object wants to be perfectly cylindrical, like it ought to be, but the slight imperfection actually, strangely, animates the form itself, for me. It is 'perfectly imperfect'. Curator: Right! That imperfection is exactly what pulls me in. The subtle lean to one side creates a dynamism lacking in a photograph or even a meticulously shaded still life painting. I wonder if this has symbolic meaning also, where the 'tilt' shows character as opposed to form? Editor: A question mark to me... however, considering the period in which the art was made, maybe there's even a comment on functionality. A flask isn't meant to be looked at but *used*. Its very form follows function. Perhaps, the drawing's incompleteness points to function versus art? The mystery of it is quite provocative for our reflection! Curator: Maybe! And that brings up the form versus the content of a flask. Think about the contents contained within! Whether medicine or moonshine, the form itself holds its secret in the dark and quiet! Thanks, this one held a few hidden nuggets for me! Editor: My pleasure. For me it goes to show, with just a few lines you can suggest whole worlds of thoughts. Simple is never truly, totally, so 'simple' indeed.