Pa. German Plate by Yolande Delasser

Pa. German Plate

c. 1937

0:00
0:00

Artwork details

Medium
drawing, painting, watercolor
Dimensions
overall: 28.3 x 22.8 cm (11 1/8 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 11 1/8" in diameter
Copyright
National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0

Tags

# 

drawing

# 

painting

# 

watercolor

# 

coloured pencil

# 

folk-art

# 

watercolor

About this artwork

This Pa. German Plate was re-interpreted by Yolande Delasser using watercolor on paper. I love the color palette, it’s earthy and has a muted, almost folk-art quality. The surface has a delicate texture, like it’s whispering a story of history. The paint application is transparent, which is like seeing the light shine through time itself. I want to focus on that central image of the eagle, it's a bit wonky, with a certain charm that only comes from the hand of someone working outside of a strict academic tradition. The phrase "Liberty for TA Jackson" is emblazoned on the banner. I’m guessing this plate is a nod to Pennsylvania’s German heritage, mixed up with an unexpected reference to Andrew Jackson. You can see a connection to folk art traditions here, but with a quirky sensibility, almost like a nod to outsider art, with that embrace of ambiguity and multiple interpretations.

Comments

Be the first to share your thoughts about this work.