Jar 1935 - 1942

Yolande Delasser created this painting, Jar, with what looks like watercolor and graphite on paper. The drawing has an organized, diagrammatic feel with a neutral palette. I imagine Delasser carefully mapping out the curves and volumes of the jar in light graphite before building up thin washes of color. She must have been contemplating the idea of a jar, the kind that holds things, like ideas, in the same way a drawing holds marks. I wonder what Delasser was thinking about as she worked. The jar has a folksy, vernacular quality—the kind you might find in a small town general store. Perhaps she wanted to capture the essence of these everyday objects and honor their modest beauty? There’s something deeply satisfying about the quiet dedication it takes to render such a humble form with such care. I am always in awe of artists who can find poetry in the mundane and transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. The process is just as vital to them as the final product.