Vase c. 1937

John Dana made this drawing of a vase at an undetermined date using what looks like watercolor or gouache. The drawing is blue! Can you imagine Dana, hunched over this vase, trying to capture the play of light on its surface, turning a solid object into an almost ethereal form through thin washes of paint? It makes me think about the quiet concentration that drawing demands—a kind of meditation where seeing and feeling become one. I love the repetitive mark-making suggesting light reflecting on the rim, the way it gives the glass a sense of weightlessness. The almost imperceptible tonal shifts, from a pale sky blue to a deeper turquoise, capture the subtle gradations of light playing across the surface. I think Dana would appreciate knowing that his work is now part of a bigger conversation, inspiring new ways of seeing and thinking. And that’s what art is all about, isn’t it? A continuous exchange across time, with each artist adding their voice to the chorus.