Creamer c. 1936

John Tarantino’s Creamer, made with watercolour, is an intimate study in the poetics of the everyday. The translucent teal is built up in layers, each stroke both deliberate and yielding. It’s like watching colour materialize, a testament to the magic inherent in the painting process. The beauty of this piece lies in its simplicity: the soft, watery pigment pools in places, creating depth and shadow, while elsewhere, the paper peeks through, a reminder of the painting’s delicate materiality. Look at how the rounded curves of the handle and base contrast with the sharp, defined lines of the rim. It’s a dance between control and chance, mirroring the push and pull of life itself. Tarantino's ability to find grace in the mundane reminds me a little bit of Giorgio Morandi, who was also obsessed with depicting the quiet beauty of simple objects, and finding endless fascination in a limited range of tones and forms. Both artists invite us to pause, to see, and to feel.