Water Cooler

Art Historical Context

"Water Cooler," a captivating rendering by artist John Tarantino circa 1940, is a gem from the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from the Great Depression era. Launched in 1935, the IAD commissioned artists across the U.S. to document everyday American folk art and decorative objects through meticulous watercolor studies. Tarantino's depiction preserves a humble yet elegant water cooler—likely a 19th-century ceramic vessel with a flared base (10 1/8 inches diameter) tapering to a narrower top (7 7/8 inches) and standing 17 3/4 inches high—celebrating the ingenuity of American craftsmanship. Crafted in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard (50.7 x 38.1 cm overall), the work exemplifies the IAD's precise rendering technique. These mixed media allowed for vibrant hues, fine details, and subtle shading, transforming functional pottery into a study of form, texture, and cultural resonance. Tarantino's skilled hand captures the cooler's graceful proportions and probable earthenware glaze, evoking its practical role in homes, offices, or public spaces before modern refrigeration. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece underscores the IAD's mission to affirm American design heritage amid economic hardship. It reminds us how ordinary objects embody national identity, blending utility with artistry in a distinctly vernacular style. A delightful window into mid-20th-century appreciation for our past!

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...