Vase c. 1940

Curator: This watercolor illustration, titled "Vase", was created by John Dana around 1940. It depicts a glass vase rendered in striking blues against a neutral backdrop. What strikes you most about it? Editor: Well, immediately I think of those summer afternoons in my grandmother’s antique shop, browsing endless objects. This drawing has that kind of still, quiet quality. Curator: It's intriguing how Dana captures the nuances of glass through watercolor. He employs the medium to document an everyday object. But is it truly just an everyday object, or does its rendering suggest something more, given that glassmaking, especially in that era, was industrial yet intricate? Editor: Maybe the artist sought a type of refuge in his artistic making to face modern alienation? There’s this sense of preciousness he brings out, almost making a caricature of a real vase. Highlighting the way an item, however trivial or simple, has significance and stands out in the world. Curator: Precisely. And the decorative elements, each little window contained within its molded frame, become points of production and even consumption within the piece. Editor: Yes, like a world contained in a droplet, you know? The world reflecting in its clear structure... it’s lovely, that connection with preciousness I see in this artwork. It is making me want to have afternoon tea right now, haha! Curator: I wonder what type of labor process created such beauty and mass production for the use of every class. A world of craft and creation consumed and cherished or discarded after fashion changed. The object becomes this silent observer. Editor: It's making me feel curious now and imagining the artist and the industrial labor it represents. What a simple yet suggestive scene of labor and beauty, now fixed by his vision. Curator: Absolutely. A simple vessel transformed into a symbol. Editor: Yes! From precious object to historical window...