Cider Jug 1936

Curator: This watercolor from 1936 is entitled "Cider Jug," painted by S. Jerome Hoxie. The soft color palette gives the piece a muted realism. What are your first thoughts about this depiction? Editor: Muted is right. My initial reaction? It feels so…quiet. Like something you'd find in your great-grandmother's attic, covered in dust motes dancing in the light. The colors are so understated. I wonder what’s its story. Curator: Indeed. The jug, itself, as a vessel carries symbolic weight. Throughout different cultures, it can represent nourishment, storage, and even ritualistic practices. In an American context, it is hard not to associate it with its typical contents during that era: cider. Editor: That's interesting... Nourishment in the 30’s. But beyond sustenance, do you think there's a hint of...celebration? You know, cider's festive associations? Or even a touch of defiance, given the Prohibition era ended only a few years prior? Maybe that’s reading too much into it? Curator: Not at all. Hoxie places this humble jug front and center, endowing it with a monumental quality. This speaks to the quiet dignity of everyday objects, as potent signifiers during a time of national hardship and change. Also note that Hoxie emphasizes the rough texture, highlighting craftsmanship. Editor: Right, there is something comforting about handmade objects, this pot being a reliable source of merriment during trying times, if only as a symbol. This is also what stands out, its sheer heft. The muted palette is interesting but the piece feels strong; resilient in a very subtle, poetic kind of way. It gives this otherwise still life the dynamic of someone persevering...or having persevered! Curator: Precisely. So much weight placed on what at first glance seems an object of unassuming purpose. And through his emphasis on texture, Hoxie endows the everyday object with a deeper presence. It truly gives pause for thought. Editor: Yes! It's made me reconsider simple beauty. What initially struck me as ordinary, I now appreciate as deliberately calm—a sturdy reminder, that beauty often rests in resilience.