Decanter 1935 - 1942

This is John Dana’s Decanter, a pencil drawing on paper that renders a clear glass vessel. The artist uses graphite to capture the way light refracts through the glass. It’s all about process here. Look how Dana builds up the form with layers of subtle grey tones. The lines are soft, almost hesitant, giving the decanter a sense of volume, while the overall effect is ghostly, as if the object could disappear into the background at any moment. The base is grounded with strong vertical lines, and the artist has captured the ornate decoration with great care and attention, a loving depiction of an everyday object. The closest comparison that comes to mind is Giorgio Morandi, an Italian painter who depicted bottles and jars in a similar way. Both artists embraced the quietness and the ambiguity of ordinary objects. The decanter remains an open question, a testament to the beauty of seeing.