Jug c. 1937

Here is Yolande Delasser’s ‘Jug’, made with who-knows-what materials – maybe it's watercolour? I see these fluid lines sketching out the form of a horse. The horse is caught mid-stride on a beige jug. It's like Delasser is animating the object. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, maybe. I imagine Delasser circling the jug, almost dancing with it, as she painted. She might have been thinking of her own horses as she made it. The colour palette is so muted, yet the cobalt blue lines sing. The surface of the jug appears smooth, but I bet there are tiny imperfections, little bumps and dips that catch the light. The artist has captured this through variations of tone. That single, unbroken line defining the horse's back, that's confidence. It speaks to the long tradition of artists inspiring each other across time. And like all paintings, this one invites us to bring our own experiences to it, to find new meanings in its gestures.