Stoneware Jar c. 1937

Editor: This is Annie B. Johnston's "Stoneware Jar," made around 1937, using pencil on paper. I find its muted tones quite somber. What’s your take on it? Curator: It’s interesting how Johnston chooses to depict a utilitarian object like a stoneware jar. Considering the socio-economic context of the 1930s, particularly in rural America, this drawing speaks to a focus on the everyday. Do you notice anything specific about the jar itself? Editor: I see the repairs, almost like the cracks and seams are being highlighted instead of hidden. Plus that ghosted-in handle gives the jar this sense of unfinished utility. Curator: Precisely! This drawing exists as a kind of visual document, reflecting values of resourcefulness prevalent in a period marked by economic hardship. This "realism" aesthetic isn’t just about technique, but a political position reflecting on how common objects played central roles in a household's existence. What do you make of that decision? Editor: It adds a layer of respect for something that might normally be overlooked. A kind of celebration of practical, domestic life in its endurance and repairs. Curator: Exactly. Now consider how images like this were seen by people and organizations involved in broader government agendas to document material culture of the time, particularly that related to labor, resourcefulness, and craftsmanship during and after The Depression era in the USA. It reminds us how art plays a vital role in recording not only the object, but the moment that gave that object meaning. Editor: It makes you think about how even still-life images aren't as still or simple as they appear to be on the surface. Thanks, that was interesting! Curator: My pleasure. Thinking about the agency of seemingly quotidian works is always illuminating!