Olla (vessel) c. late 1920s - 1930s

This Olla vessel sits in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, made with clay and pigment, by an anonymous artist. You can imagine it being built up, coil by coil, the hand moving around and around, like a dance. I wonder about the person who made this pot. What were they thinking as they painted those triangles, circles, and flowers? The repetition of lines and shapes, this is patient work; the artist is someone who knew their medium deeply. How did they get that red? So earthy. It reminds me of Léger's cylinders, or maybe early Stuart Davis, but more...human. You can see the hand in it, not just the geometry, but the touch. The painting on this pot feels so confident and personal. And it makes me think about how painting isn't just about 'high art' on a canvas; it's a basic human impulse. We see something, and we want to mark it, change it, share it. It’s a conversation across time.