Sugar Bowl c. 1940

Editor: This watercolor by Philip Johnson, titled "Sugar Bowl," was created around 1940. The delicate rendering in shades of pale green and the tight composition give it an almost clinical feel, like a scientific illustration. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to consider the social context of depicting something as everyday as a sugar bowl. Watercolor as a medium inherently connects to ideas of the domestic, or even the hobbyist, a mode often associated with women's labour in the domestic sphere during this period. How might this "everyday" watercolor painting challenge traditional boundaries between "high art" and the material realities of life? Editor: That's a great point. The "everydayness" of the subject and medium do seem to invite that consideration. I guess, looking at it that way, watercolor maybe brings a degree of authenticity given its prevalence in portraying familiar settings. Does the medium allow for this better than oil paint? Curator: Absolutely. The accessibility of watercolor – the ease of use and relative affordability of the materials – suggests a very different kind of artistic labour compared to oil painting. I’m curious to consider who has historically had access to these art materials and artistic training and for what purpose. In that light, the "Sugar Bowl" becomes not just an aesthetic object, but also a reflection of specific social and economic conditions. Editor: That makes perfect sense. So we're not just seeing a sugar bowl, we are seeing the context in which that sugar bowl was made, used, and portrayed. It all comes down to materials! Thank you for sharing that perspective. Curator: It was a pleasure! And remember to keep digging beneath the surface of materials; they always reveal a story.