Decorated Bottle 1937

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Decorated Bottle," a watercolor and drawing created by J. Howard Iams in 1937. Editor: Well, first blush, it feels very precious and poised. The botanical details against that nearly black background… like finding a jewel-toned garden hidden at night. Curator: The use of watercolor here is interesting. Typically associated with landscapes and softer subjects, Iams applies it to depict a seemingly decorative object. This challenges our perception, doesn't it? How the “everyday” might also be a work of detailed art? Editor: Absolutely. It elevates the mundane. I keep thinking about the hand involved, all that care painstakingly applied. Did the bottle even exist or was it a dream conjured on paper? The way he contrasts the blues and the earthy tones sings to me; it suggests a delicate balance of the natural world domesticated somehow. Curator: The modernity also plays in its appeal. Although made during the 1930's, it carries forth into a tradition where design and function interweave, showing up in contemporary consumer products and advertising imagery to some degree. He understood how something so basic can become visually symbolic. Editor: I wonder what it held? Perfume, medicine, dreams? The craftsmanship sparks a real curiosity; an intimate peek into the artist’s sensibilities…a whimsical twist during more austere times. Curator: Its decorative quality leads one to investigate questions surrounding accessibility of beauty; that there’s both craft and artistry to even commonplace items and their representation. Editor: You’ve made me think beyond aesthetics. This isn’t just a picture of a bottle. It's an investigation of seeing beauty and artistry embedded into functional, ordinary objects. And the mystery deepens… Curator: Precisely, and thank you for guiding us closer to this fascinating duality. Editor: My pleasure. What a curious piece.