Jar c. 1940

This is "Jar" by John Tarantino, we don't know when exactly, but it's likely from the late 20th century, and it seems to be made with some kind of blue crayon on brown paper. The execution is what I would call, in my own work, "intuitive", because the lines are loose and quick, and kind of blobby at the edges. This piece is really interesting because the blue of the crayon is so vibrant against the brown of the paper. If you look closely, you can see how Tarantino really digs into the surface, especially around the edges of the shapes, like the dark shadow of the downward-facing bloom in the bottom left. The texture looks kind of dry, which is a contrast to the juicy fluidity that you often see in watercolors. I love how the paper isn't white, it gives the drawing such a warm, almost nostalgic feel. I am reminded of some of the colour choices in the paintings of Bob Thompson. Like Tarantino, Thompson often combined bright, saturated colours with muted, earthy tones to create striking and unsettling compositions. Ultimately, "Jar" is less about the exactness of representation and more about the joy of mark-making, and the pleasure of seeing how colours interact.