Milk Pan c. 1940

Here's John Tarantino's ‘Milk Pan’—a painting of an object, of a drawing, really. Look at the way he's used watercolor to try and bring out all the different textures! It has those muted grays and blues that are typical of older ceramics. I'm thinking about how he must have sat and looked at this object—really looked—trying to capture not just what it looked like but what it *felt* like. Do you think he ever used one of these? What kind of milk did it hold? Imagine the cool liquid, cream rising to the top. Look at the blue decoration—almost floral. Is that what they thought about, churning milk? Fields of flowers? It kind of reminds me of some of Morandi's still lifes, except instead of bottles, it's folksy pottery. It's like Tarantino's showing us how even everyday objects can be beautiful and how making a painting is about slowing down and seeing the world in a new way.