Statuette c. 1939

Editor: This is Yolande Delasser’s "Statuette," a drawing from around 1939. The delicate lines give it a ghostly feel, like a faded memory. What stands out to you in terms of its visual form? Curator: Immediately, the composition arrests my attention. Delasser has orchestrated a dance between positive and negative space. The linearity against the plain ground evokes an ethereal feel, one where structural forms blend with their spatial surrounds. Editor: It almost feels unfinished because of the sparse use of line, what do you think? Curator: On the contrary, the restraint highlights her economy of line, don't you think? The hatching suggests a mass, yet doesn't fill in; instead, it invites the eye to travel along and interpret depth and volume. Consider the relationship between line weight and spatial suggestion. Note how it subtly changes with position. Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't noticed that. The lightness of the line almost dissolves at certain points. It makes me wonder if that’s the focus more than the form? Curator: Precisely! We find form destabilised to convey other states of the figurative form of the "Statuette," so that is to say, what matters in your view? The subject, in essence, matters less than how it engages the viewer’s vision with lines, forms, space and depth. This enables abstraction, or at least a move from pure representation to exploring pure form. Editor: That makes much more sense. Thank you! It gives a fresh dimension for us to explore visual forms of the early period. Curator: Agreed, the key takeaway here is Delasser challenges a focus away from mere representationalism into what can be evoked visually.