Cream Pitcher c. 1937

Curator: So, before us we have “Cream Pitcher,” a watercolor and ink drawing by Janet Riza, created around 1937. Editor: Wow, that's quite blue, isn't it? Like a midnight ocean caught in glass. And so formally posed, yet strangely intimate. Curator: Well, the choice of color is striking, and perhaps reflects the interest in modernist aesthetics common during that era, as a movement embracing streamlined shapes and simplified forms. Think about how everyday objects became elevated in art, celebrating a sort of industrial elegance. Editor: I feel a little nostalgic pang, looking at this. There's something both solid and ethereal. It could be sitting in a farmhouse cupboard or gracing a high-society tea table. All that swirling reflected light suggests it contains some enchanted liquid – maybe memories instead of cream. Curator: It's true that domestic objects can evoke a sense of familiarity and even comfort. The way Riza uses light here also helps give it almost an idealized presentation; as if it’s staged or photographed to appeal a certain middle-class aesthetic, that began consuming in industrial products with elegance. Editor: Elegance indeed, though I also get a hint of playful rebellion, especially considering it's a "Cream Pitcher". Why give it this royal treatment with deep blues? Makes me wonder, was there something rebellious hiding beneath everyday life, reflected here with simple ink and watercolor. Curator: I think your reading brings an interesting nuance to the context, considering the history. This would've been an affordable way of expressing modernity, available to all people at all classes. This is, essentially, what makes it powerful. Editor: Power in simplicity and colour – it's quite true. When an artwork lets us ponder about class and elegance hidden inside everyday lives, and what it can reflect on ourselves; what more could one want? I might just go brew a cuppa now. Curator: Yes, it leaves you with that gentle nudge of introspection, doesn't it? Thanks for providing an equally contemplative approach, a look inside one’s heart with only looking at domesticity.