Jar c. 1937

Harry Mann Waddell created this drawing of a jar. The somber palette and diffused light lend the vessel a subdued, almost melancholic quality. The jar itself is meticulously rendered, highlighting its structure through a play of vertical lines and cylindrical forms. The artist creates a sense of depth by emphasizing the contrast between the light reflecting from the jar and its darker shaded areas. Waddell’s close attention to texture is evident in the speckled surface of the jar. This technique enhances the object's visual weight and emphasizes the materiality, offering a tactile, physical presence, while also disrupting the smoothness one might expect, thus unsettling the conventional idea of utilitarian objects. This interplay between form and texture invites the viewer to consider the jar not merely as a functional item but as a site of visual and tactile exploration.