Jug c. 1937

This drawing of a jug was made by Yolande Delasser at an unknown date. It looks like she used fine black lines on paper, and then added some blue decoration. When you look at it, you can almost feel her hand moving, mapping out this simple object. The jug stands alone, like a character on a stage. There’s a quiet confidence in the line work, a sense that Delasser knew exactly where she was going. The handle is perfectly round, like a little dance. I wonder what Delasser was thinking as she drew? Was she remembering a jug from her childhood kitchen? I love how she embraced simplicity, focusing on the essential form. It reminds me of Morandi's bottles, or even Agnes Martin's grids, in its dedication to subtle variation. It’s as if Delasser is saying, “Look, even the most ordinary thing can be beautiful, if you really see it.” And that's the kind of conversation that artists have with each other all the time.