Crock c. 1937

Yolande Delasser made this study for a crock, most likely on paper, in the late 19th or early 20th century. It's a really interesting combination of pencil and watercolor that gives it this airy, almost dreamlike quality. What strikes me is how the blue pigment pools and flows in the decorative frieze. The way the watercolor bleeds outward, creating these soft, diffused edges, it gives the design a sense of depth and movement. There's something both precise and improvisational about it. It's controlled in the sense that it depicts a repeating pattern, but the execution feels spontaneous and free. It reminds me of some of the studies that Van Gogh did of Japanese prints, where he was trying to understand and translate a different visual language. Like Van Gogh, Delasser seems to be exploring the possibilities of the medium itself. It's less about capturing a specific image and more about the act of seeing and feeling. Ultimately, the piece invites us to slow down, look closely, and appreciate the subtle beauty of the everyday.