Crock c. 1953

John Tarantino made this drawing of a crock, but I don’t know when. It looks like a simple, straightforward rendering. What I notice right away are the careful light washes of color, like a watercolorist trying to describe the form. The blue design on the crock itself looks printed on, while the rendering of the crock looks painted, giving us two different types of mark-making, combined. I wonder if Tarantino liked how the man with the stick seems a little out of place, with his slightly quizzical expression. What was Tarantino thinking? Was he smiling as he drew? Was he charmed by the man? I almost feel like he wants the drawing to ask questions. I feel as if I am in the studio with him, asking myself what a painting can be, and what it can do.