Flask c. 1936

Curator: Here we have Charles Caseau's "Flask," dating from around 1936, rendered in colored pencil and watercolor. It's such a deceptive little piece, isn't it? At first glance, quite straightforward. Editor: There’s an immediate charm—like peering into a relic from another era. The delicate wash of blues gives it an almost ethereal quality. Nostalgia bottled, perhaps? Curator: Indeed. The drawing presents what appears to be a glass flask or bottle, complete with an inset portrait and the inscription "New Jersey, Bridgeton." Caseau's technical skill shines. Note how the transparency of the glass is suggested solely through layering colored pencil, creating light and shadow. Editor: And how the light catches certain edges, giving form through suggestion, very skillful. Tell me, who's the man within the bottle? A dignitary, maybe a distiller of fine New Jersey spirits? Curator: Well, that’s part of the enigma. There is a detailed drawing within, giving some weight and gravity to the portraiture. The color suggests an aged photograph might've served as his model. Caseau elevates an everyday item by imbuing it with historical significance. The piece flirts with themes of memory, legacy... Editor: It is a ghostly presence trapped inside, doesn't it? The flask almost feels like a time capsule. Are we meant to liberate this forgotten soul or contemplate the beauty of confinement? Is Caseau encouraging us to view our own lives and memories through the lens of an artistic filter, preserving fleeting moments in a more tangible container? Curator: Or perhaps to highlight the artfulness inherent even in the mundane? By isolating this single bottle, transforming it into a subject of study and art, Caseau compels us to reconsider value. Editor: A subtle critique of mass production? Or simply a celebration of utilitarian form elevated to fine art? Curator: A tantalizing ambiguity remains, don't you think? Which might just be the charm of "Flask" - it invites speculation without offering easy answers. Editor: Well, that's a nice way of looking at it! In my view this has to be one of the finest watercolor and pencil images here.