Jar c. 1937

Yolande Delasser made this study of a Jar, in no particular year, using graphite and watercolor. The muted palette, mostly shades of blue, feels like a delicate wash over the paper, a gentle embrace of form and surface. You can almost feel the artist's breath on the page. The blue lines of the floral design are bold but tentative. See how the thickness of the lines vary, giving a sense of depth and movement, like the design is unfurling before our eyes? It makes me think about how much of artmaking is about the act of discovery. Look at the way the watercolor bleeds slightly into the paper. This piece reminds me of Hilma af Klint’s botanical studies, there is a similar precision, and reverence for the natural world. There is something so tender about Delasser’s jar study, a quiet meditation on the beauty of the everyday. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always need to shout; sometimes, the most profound statements are whispered.