Cream Pitcher
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.6 x 23 cm (11 1/4 x 9 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 6 1/4" High 3 1/4" Wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.7303
Art Historical Context
This detailed rendering of a cream pitcher, created around 1936 by Joseph Sudek, belongs to the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art. Measuring 28.6 by 23 cm, it was executed in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard to faithfully document a modest cream pitcher originally 6¼ inches high and 3¼ inches wide. The Index of American Design formed part of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project during the Great Depression. Between 1935 and 1942, artists produced thousands of precise watercolor studies of American decorative arts, folk objects, and...
About the Artist
Joseph Sudek
Josef Sudek (1896–1976) was a Czech photographer widely regarded as one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, known for his poetic, intimate images of Prague and his mastery of light. Born in Kolín, Bohemia, he lost his right arm during World War I and turned to photography during his convalescence, studying at the State School of Graphic Arts in Prague from 1922 to 1924. Sudek ...