Crock c. 1937

Yolande Delasser made this picture of a crock, probably with watercolour and ink, though it’s difficult to tell the date. It's really about lines, and the play between thin outlines, and bold, blue-grey blobs. I love the sense of touch in this work, how the weight of the paint on the brush seems to dictate the shape of each mark. The bluey grey colour palette gives the image a subdued, almost dreamlike quality. Notice how the drips of ink add an element of chance and spontaneity. It feels as if Delasser is allowing the materials to lead the way. Look closely at the blue motifs underneath the pot, they are like simplified symbols but I find they suggest a row of figures or even a kind of language. This drawing reminds me a little of work by Alfred Wallis, another outsider artist who also focused on simple, everyday objects. But while Wallis captured the essence of boats and harbors, Delasser, in her own way, finds magic in the mundane.