Pitcher c. 1936

Editor: This is John Tarantino's "Pitcher," created around 1936 using watercolor. It's a simple image, but there's something about the blue hues and the way the light reflects that's really calming. What do you see in this piece, considering its context? Curator: The seeming simplicity is deceptive. In the 1930s, America was grappling with immense economic hardship and social upheaval. Realism like this served as a grounding force, a way to connect with everyday objects and find beauty in the mundane. But also, consider what isn't there: people, narrative, abundance. Editor: So, the lack of those things speaks to the time, almost like a silent protest through art? Curator: Precisely. The conscious choice to depict a simple pitcher elevates it beyond its utilitarian function. It becomes a symbol of domesticity, perhaps yearning for a return to simpler times, or maybe commenting on their absence. What does this object evoke for you, given its potential associations with, say, gendered labor within the home? Editor: I guess I hadn’t thought about that, but seeing it now, it could also be about the often-unseen labor involved in maintaining a household. Curator: Exactly. It makes us question whose stories are told and whose are left out of the historical narrative. It prompts us to consider the social and political implications inherent in seemingly ordinary subject matter. It allows us to think of all the hands who touched such a pitcher, and of all the possible histories it witnessed. Editor: It’s incredible how a seemingly simple picture of a pitcher can open up so many avenues for thinking about history and society. Curator: Absolutely. Art has the power to make us reflect and ask hard questions.