Jug and Decoration 1935 - 1942

Curator: This watercolor drawing on paper is titled "Jug and Decoration," and it was created by Yolande Delasser sometime between 1935 and 1942. Editor: It feels both fragile and meticulously planned. A kind of hesitant but persistent beauty, you know? I am picking up these almost tentative washes of blue on a ground that reads as warmth. It feels muted. Like a faded memory or something, or an antique design catalog. Curator: Yes! And what resonates with me is how these geometric, decorative art elements—jugs, floral ribbons, garland-like motifs—seem to speak to a yearning for order and beauty amidst what was likely a period of immense upheaval. The Second World War was looming. The simple domestic objects take on significance. Editor: Totally! I love how something as humble as a jug can become a symbol of refuge, you know? And the garland… it's like, are we decorating for celebration or for solace? Or both? The blue against the raw umber really makes it vibrate and my mind sees them floating, suspended somehow in amber or time. Curator: It's intriguing to consider how Delasser employs a palette that echoes traditional delftware—a familiar visual language associated with domesticity and comfort. There’s a sense of wanting to preserve something timeless. It taps into the human need to hold onto tangible beauty. Editor: Exactly! And even in something so ostensibly simple, there’s this emotional layering that sneaks up on you. You know, I think what moves me most is the palpable humanity. Someone was thinking so thoughtfully through colour, texture and these vessels we used every single day! Curator: A sensitive act of bearing witness, of finding quiet dignity in commonplace. It makes you think of our capacity to express our humanity through visual languages. Editor: Right? It really holds a special spot for anyone appreciating that intersection of form, memory, emotion and craft, really.