Jar

Art Historical Context

John Tarantino's *Jar* (c. 1) is a meticulous rendering of an everyday American ceramic vessel, captured in watercolor, colored pencil, and on paperboard. Measuring 33.4 x 25.6 cm, this artwork faithfully reproduces the jar's modest dimensions—7½ inches high with a 5⅛-inch diameter at top and bottom—highlighting its simple, functional form likely rooted in folk pottery traditions. Tarantino's precise technique brings out subtle textures and earthy tones, transforming an ordinary object into a celebration of vernacular design. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a WPA Federal Art Project from 1935–1942, this piece reflects New Deal efforts to document and preserve America's artistic heritage amid the Great Depression. Artists like Tarantino produced over 18,000 detailed studies of folk art, crafts, and industrial designs, fostering national pride in everyday creativity. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, *Jar* exemplifies the IAD's mission to elevate utilitarian objects as cultural treasures. Through layered watercolors for depth and graphite for fine lines, Tarantino invites viewers to appreciate the jar's quiet elegance—perhaps a product of regional potters—reminding us how such humble forms embody American ingenuity and resilience.

About the Artist

John Tarantino · 1855–present

John Tarantino was an American artist active from around 1935 to 1953, best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create precise renderings of everyday folk art objects, preserving the nation's vernacular design heritage a...