Flask c. 1936

This ‘Flask’ was made by John Tarantino, but the exact date is unknown, and it's rendered with what looks like watercolour. There's this gentle wash of warm, almost honey-like colour that gives the flask its form. You can see the way the brushstrokes follow the curves of the object, like he's caressing it with paint. Look how the vertical lines create a subtle texture, almost like the flask is breathing. It's so delicate and precise. And then there’s that little flask floating in the background, a ghost of the original, like a memory. It's an interesting decision to include a smaller image of the same object. I love how Tarantino is kind of echoing Giorgio Morandi, who spent his whole life painting bottles, exploring the subtle differences in shape and light. There's a quiet stillness here, a sense of contemplation. Art is all about seeing, and that's what Tarantino is asking us to do.