Roach Trap c. 1936

Yolande Delasser made this drawing of a roach trap with what looks like watercolor. I can imagine her sitting and rendering this object precisely. She patiently painted each horizontal line of the trap’s conical form, and then the dark hole, the entry point. She seems to have really looked, paying attention to the subtle gradations of light and shadow on its surface. I wonder what Delasser thought about while she was making this. Was it a study in form and texture? Or a reflection on the less pleasant aspects of domestic life? Maybe she was thinking of other artists, like Giorgio Morandi, who found endless inspiration in humble objects. This drawing reminds me that art can be found in the most unexpected places, and that even the simplest objects can hold layers of meaning and beauty.