Ring Bottle c. 1936

Editor: This watercolor drawing, titled "Ring Bottle" and created around 1936 by Yolande Delasser, presents an unusual vessel. The soft hues and simple form give it a certain quiet charm, almost rustic. I am intrigued by the depiction of the hole in the middle. What design principles stand out to you in this drawing? Curator: The most striking element is indeed the formal tension created by that void. Delasser manipulates positive and negative space to challenge conventional notions of form and function. Note how the muted tones of the bottle body are punctuated by these scattered azure embellishments. The 'M.S' inscription further fragments the surface, resisting a unified reading of the vessel. Editor: So, it's not about the vessel's use but more about how she plays with our perception of shape and space? The placement of those motifs, particularly the initials… is there significance there? Curator: Not necessarily 'plays'. Delasser investigates, reveals, questions the assumptions embedded within our understanding of everyday objects. Think of semiotics: what is the signifier, and what is being signified? The initials may be nothing more than a decorative flourish, but even so, they create a dissonance that invites analysis. The surface tension from each motif. Editor: I see! It all comes down to how she dissects and rebuilds our expectations through form and composition. So even the littlest elements amount to its intentional form. Curator: Precisely. We’ve begun to understand not what is, but how it *is*. Editor: Thanks! That’s given me a completely new way to appreciate it!