Milk Glass Vase c. 1936

Editor: So, this is Wellington Blewett's "Milk Glass Vase," drawn around 1936. It’s a pencil drawing, and the first thing that strikes me is how delicate it feels despite being, well, a vase! It almost looks like a ghostly memory of one. What do you make of it? Curator: Ghostly is a delicious observation. The rendering is so precise yet airy. Makes me think of whispers, a quiet beauty, maybe even loss. A vase is, after all, a container for holding – flowers, memories, perhaps unspoken feelings. And here it is, empty, presented to us in this monochrome dreamscape. Do you think that the pencil medium adds to the overall subdued emotion? Editor: I think so. It’s not vibrant or showy, which forces you to really look at the detail and craftsmanship. What about the style itself? It’s tagged as "decorative art," but it feels different than other art with this tag. Curator: The “decorative art” tag is interesting, right? Because Blewett wasn't just illustrating a vase; he was imbuing it with an emotional quality. There is some influence of realism in the meticulous rendering and use of perspective, but there's also a touch of fantasy here, a heightened sensitivity. Do you see how the soft shadows create this three-dimensionality that is almost tangible? It feels so present, it could just emerge into the room… like an actual ghost. Editor: Yes, definitely, the play of light tricks your mind. It's not just a vase, it's a presence! I guess I’d assumed decorative arts are inherently trying to look beautiful. This drawing presents us a beauty, and its antithesis: transience and sadness. I learned a lot today, thanks! Curator: And so did I! Looking at art with fresh eyes helps to find something new, doesn’t it? That pencil is so much more evocative than I’d previously realized.