Sugar Bowl c. 1940

John Tarantino made this watercolor drawing of a sugar bowl, at an unknown date. I can see the artist patiently building up the form of this object with repeated marks. I am trying to imagine the act of painting this object, which would take a long time. It must have been a labor of love. I wonder, why did Tarantino choose this object to paint? Was it a thing of beauty in his home? Or an exercise in representing different textures in paint? I find myself thinking about this object in relation to the work of Giorgio Morandi, who painted lots of humble objects, exploring the shifting effects of light and shadow. Each of these painters invites us to slow down and contemplate the beauty of the everyday.