Crock c. 1937

Yolande Delasser made this drawing of a crock, we don't know when, with an interest in the form and the process of image making. The colors are muted earth tones, typical of the pottery itself, but the addition of that vibrant blue design gives the whole piece a kick, doesn't it? The surface of the crock is rendered with a soft, almost blurry quality. It’s like Delasser is less interested in capturing every detail and more in conveying the essence of the object, its weight, its texture. The way she handles the light, how it catches on the curves of the crock, it’s all very tactile. I imagine her building up the tones layer by layer, letting the medium do its thing, embracing the drips and the imperfections. Think about the tradition of still life painting, but Delasser’s not trying to fool us into thinking this is a real crock. It’s a drawing, a representation, an idea. It reminds me a little of Morandi, that humble, everyday subject matter. Like him, she transforms something ordinary into something beautiful, something worth contemplating.