Spark Lamp c. 1936

Editor: This is John Tarantino’s "Spark Lamp" from around 1936, rendered in pencil and charcoal. There's a quiet elegance to it. It reminds me of those architectural drawings, but simpler. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It’s evocative, isn't it? Something about the deliberate, clean lines contrasted with the smokiness of the charcoal… Almost as if the idea of light, rather than light itself, is being captured. You almost feel Tarantino is chasing the phantom of illumination! He captures not the object, but a reflection. Editor: I see what you mean. There's something dreamlike about it. Did the “idea of light” play a role in Modernist art and design during this period? Curator: Absolutely! Think of the rise of electricity and its impact. Light was freedom, progress, a break from the past. Tarantino, I think, is playing with that tension – tradition versus modernity – in this deceptively simple sketch. Is he sketching a lamp or a feeling? Does this ‘spark’ refer to electricity or creative ignition? Or is he showing us the idea of something brighter lurking in a dim world? Editor: So it's not just a drawing of a lamp, but an idea? Curator: Precisely. It’s a humble subject rendered with such thoughtfulness and intention. Editor: I’ll never look at a lamp the same way again. Curator: Ah, isn't that what art is all about? To spark that new light, to chase that new creative flame within us all?