Jar c. 1937

John Tarantino painted this jar, we don't know exactly when. The blues and browns, rendered in watercolor, remind me of early photography, capturing a specific moment in time, but with the soft touch of an artist's hand. Look at the way Tarantino plays with light and shadow, particularly on the jar's surface, it almost glows. It's incredible. The blue decorations, like stylized trees and the figure of a woman, are painted with a confident, almost naive hand. I think this contrast—between the realism of the jar itself and the whimsical decorations—gives the piece its unique charm. Notice the drips of paint that suggest a process of application and response. Tarantino's jar makes me think of other artists who blur the line between representation and abstraction, like Giorgio Morandi. Both artists transform everyday objects into subjects of contemplation, reminding us to find beauty in the mundane and to embrace art as an open-ended exploration.