Jug c. 1936

Yolande Delasser painted "Jug" in watercolor using red, brown, and black paint. I feel as though I’m standing in front of a painting by Morandi. The way Delasser layers her strokes creates a complex, almost luminous surface. She's trying to capture the volume of this jug, but she's also after something else: a play of light, maybe, or the jug-ness of the jug? Look at how the dark brown strokes wrap around the body of the jug, giving it weight and dimension. I imagine Delasser, squinting, leaning in, trying to get it just right. Each brushstroke is a decision, a tiny act of creation, a back and forth between her eye and her hand. She's in conversation with the object, but also with the whole history of painting. From Chardin to Cezanne, artists have been using humble objects to explore the possibilities of paint. Painting is a conversation across time.