Jug c. 1936

Curator: Here we have Roberta Elvis’s watercolor and ink drawing entitled “Jug,” created circa 1936. It's a straightforward still life, carefully observed. Editor: My first thought is of old family photos – sepia-toned, quiet, with a certain wistful quality. It seems to emanate a particular, lived-in sense of the past, more so than any grand historical portrait. Curator: It does evoke that intimate feeling. Everyday objects often become imbued with a symbolic weight. Jars, jugs—containers of sustenance, reminders of domestic rituals. Consider their appearance throughout history. They’re in the paintings of ancient Egypt, Grecian urns… Editor: It's interesting that you go immediately to the historical weight. What stands out to me is the very controlled use of line, see how the watercolor fills and interacts with the ink? There is precision in how each shape plays with shadow. Observe the neck of the jug! The reflections alone demand so much visual study and artistic patience. Curator: Ah, but the very clarity of the representation amplifies the symbol! Water is life, light is enlightenment, both reflected in this singular vessel. I would speculate, given the date of its creation, the jug might also be considered as an artifact for a stable and plentiful home environment, as desired for families in the shadow of the great depression. The drawing acts as a totem. Editor: Perhaps. Or it could simply be an interesting, refractive object in the home studio that called out to be immortalized on paper with the utmost mimetic ability. After all, isn’t that the charm of realism? Taking the extraordinary in the everyday. Curator: Maybe. Though I think, that it's rare for art to purely exist in such a context-free world. What the jug *contains* matters too! Editor: It seems we have two vessels here, the physical object and the image of that object, holding our attention in different ways.