Pitcher 1935 - 1942

Van Silvay rendered this watercolor of a pitcher in the late 19th or early 20th century. The pitcher, with its spiraling form, evokes the cyclical nature of water itself. Consider the sinuous curves. They remind us of ancient depictions of the Ouroboros, the snake eating its tail, symbolizing eternity and the perpetual return. The pitcher is a vessel. This vessel connects to the sacred containers of antiquity. Think of the amphorae of ancient Greece, or the chalices used in religious rituals. It is an object for containing sacred liquids. Yet, here, the spirals are frozen in glass, a paradox that captures the fluidity of water. The human desire to contain the uncontainable, like memory itself. We fill our minds with images and experiences, attempting to hold onto them, even as they transform and fade. In this simple pitcher, Van Silvay touches upon the eternal cycle of memory, loss, and renewal.