Platter
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 30.3 x 23.3 cm (11 15/16 x 9 3/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 7/8" x 8"
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.7237
Art Historical Context
This watercolor and graphite rendering of a platter, created around 1937 by Joseph Sudek, forms part of the Index of American Design collection at the National Gallery of Art. The Index was a New Deal-era project that employed artists to produce highly accurate visual records of American decorative arts, folk objects, and everyday items, preserving the nation’s material culture at a time of economic hardship. Sudek’s work documents a modest platter whose original dimensions were just eight inches across and under an inch high, underscoring the project’s attention even to humble examples of Ame...
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 ...