Grotesque Jug c. 1936

Editor: This is Yolande Delasser's *Grotesque Jug* from around 1936. It looks like a drawing of a ceramic piece. What strikes me is this tension between the domesticity of the jug and the unsettling facial features. What are your thoughts? Curator: Ah, yes! That tension is precisely what I find so compelling. It’s as if Delasser has taken a humble object and breathed a bizarre life into it, wouldn’t you agree? Perhaps even…a satirical one. Are we laughing *with* this jug, or *at* it? Editor: I’m not sure! The jug looks… surprised? Scared, maybe? Curator: Indeed. Notice how Delasser renders the eyes. They’re almost popping out, conveying… well, something other than peace and serenity, eh? Now, imagine having *that* staring back at you over breakfast! The horror, the humanity! Editor: It would certainly make you think. I see the grotesque elements now, particularly in the mouth with its visible teeth and downturned expression. I’m curious about what motivated Delasser to focus on this object in this way. Curator: An excellent question. I think she's poking fun at our perceptions of beauty, you know? Challenging the idea that art must always be pleasing. In this case, the imperfection and strangeness are exactly what makes it interesting. Editor: That's such a good point; reframing the everyday to reveal a hidden layer. I’ll definitely see jugs differently from now on! Curator: Precisely! That little jolt, that slight unsettling, it opens your eyes to the possibilities. The beauty lurking within the absurd, eh? That's the magic of art.