Crock c. 1938

John Tarantino’s watercolour gives us a flat, abstracted view of a crock, focusing on the decorative element. The loose, confident strokes of blue create a rhythmic pattern of stylized flowers and foliage that dance across the surface, not quite representational but full of life. I can imagine Tarantino, leaning over the paper, coaxing these forms into being. The blue paint is applied in layers, pooling in some areas and thinning out in others, creating a sense of depth and texture. There is a sense of playfulness and freedom in this work that reminds me of Arthur Dove or even Marsden Hartley. It is a painting that invites us to see the world in new ways, not as fixed or defined, but as always changing and in process. Like a half-remembered dream. That's what paintings can do, they remind us to stay open and see where the conversation leads.