Jug 1935 - 1942

Charles Caseau created this drawing of a jug using graphite and watercolour, giving it a sort of quiet, contemplative quality. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the page, coaxing the form into being through layers of translucent washes and delicate lines. I wonder what Caseau was thinking as he built up those subtle gradations of colour, letting the jug emerge from the paper like a memory. Was he drawn to the simple, utilitarian beauty of the object, or was he more interested in the way light played across its surface, transforming it into something almost ethereal? The watercolour is thin, allowing the texture of the paper to show through, adding another layer of visual interest. The jug seems to be in dialogue with the botanical illustration in the corner, a gesture that opens up the composition to multiple ways of seeing and thinking. Caseau's drawing makes me think about the way artists are constantly conversing with one another across time, picking up on each other's ideas and transforming them in their own unique ways. Painting, drawing – they are like embodied expressions, and full of ambiguity, allowing for all kinds of readings.