Jug c. 1938

Curator: Well, hello there! This understated little marvel is Elsie Wein's "Jug," circa 1938. She's worked in watercolor to capture what looks like a humble earthenware jug. What catches your eye first? Editor: The cracks! And the subdued palette. It whispers of history, of functionality softened by time and perhaps a few clumsy hands. There is something about the symmetry in contrast with the fissures that intrigues. Curator: You picked up on the cracks! I love that you saw that. For me, they add such vulnerability to a simple, useful object. Makes you think, what stories it could tell, right? Maybe this drawing honors this specific jug’s life, not just jug-ness in general. The dark detailing above seems like a deliberate choice to lift a rather grounded piece into some form of regality. Editor: Precisely! Those cracks become almost like wrinkles on an old face – each tells a story. And the darker garland design adds to that regality... It’s fascinating how a commonplace object can be imbued with such…presence, almost. Blue is the colour for devotion. We see that decoration is only present on one portion of the pot so we are invited into the foreground narrative on one portion. What is behind it? Curator: Yes! Elsie seems to have plucked this vessel right from everyday life and put it on a little throne of paper. What ordinary thing in your life could you make magical simply by really, truly *seeing* it? She made realism exciting in some small way, don't you think? And she worked in watercolor which can be tricky... Editor: Absolutely, seeing the magic in the mundane, a concept with a rich and ancient history. The medium almost lends itself to the themes here. Watercolor mirrors the delicate, fragile nature of both the ceramic and perhaps life itself, reflecting transience and impermanence, with a permanence. The image persists when all is gone. Curator: Nicely said! That tension, capturing the object versus knowing one day it’s just memory… gives me the shivers. Editor: Makes you ponder what future archaeologists, human or otherwise, will make of *our* jugs and containers, doesn't it? Curator: Oh, cosmic thoughts, perfect way to leave this! Maybe Wein left us with a message about our simple things. We should treat them carefully while we have them.