Decanter 1936

John Dana conjured this Decanter with watercolor and graphite on paper. Look at this color, it's one of those earth tones that's not really brown, not really green, but something else. You can sense Dana feeling his way around the decanter’s shape, one line at a time, like a sculptor carving away at stone. I wonder what he was thinking as he rendered this form, maybe reflecting on daily routines, the simple act of pouring a drink. He emphasizes the physicality of the object, the roundness and texture of the glass, and the way the light catches on its surface. It is like a map of an idea, not so much the real thing, but something close. It's a reminder that the act of making something, whether a drawing or a painting, is a way of being in conversation with the world, and with each other.