Flask c. 1936

John Tarantino made this drawing of a flask, and it's interesting how he's chosen to represent this simple object. The colours are muted, like old glass catching the light, and the way the lines curve suggests a kind of delicate fragility. I wonder if he was thinking about light itself as he drew it, how it plays on the surface of the glass, creating these subtle variations in tone? It reminds me of Morandi's still lifes, in the way it elevates the mundane into something quietly profound. You can imagine Tarantino carefully observing the flask, trying to capture its essence with each stroke. There is a second, smaller version of the flask in the upper-right corner which gives the impression that the artist was studying the form from various angles, trying to get it just right. Artists are always in conversation, learning from each other, finding new ways to see the world. And like all good art, this drawing invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to appreciate the beauty in the everyday.