Pitcher
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 29.2 x 22.6 cm (11 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 7 1/2" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17822
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Great Depression, artist Michael Trekur contributed to the Index of American Design (IAD), a ambitious Federal Art Project launched in 1935 under the Works Progress Administration. This watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard, created between 1935 and 1942, meticulously documents a modest 7½-inch-high pitcher, capturing its form with precise detail. Measuring 29.2 x 22.6 cm overall, the work exemplifies the IAD's mission to celebrate everyday American craftsmanship through faithful artistic reproductions. Trekur's technique blends the fluidity of watercolor for sub...
About the Artist
Michael Trekur
Michael Trekur is an artist about whom very little biographical information has been firmly established by art historians. No confirmed birth or death dates are recorded, and the limited documentary trail that survives makes it difficult to reconstruct the arc of his training, career, or artistic affiliations with confidence. The works attributed to him suggest a practitioner active at some point ...