Jar c. 1937

Charles Caseau drew this 'Jar' with some kind of marker on paper, and it's all about the stark simplicity of the line. It feels like he’s figuring out how to distill an object down to its most essential form. The way he’s used the marker is super direct, almost like he’s tracing something that isn't there. There's this vulnerability in the thinness of the line that gives the drawing a fragile quality. And that little wobble in the line that defines the curve of the jar, it’s like a tiny earthquake in an otherwise stable image, hinting at the imperfection of the human hand. There's something inherently funny about trying to capture a three-dimensional object in two dimensions. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, a translation, a game of telephone across different mediums and perspectives. This drawing reminds me a bit of some of Ellsworth Kelly’s line drawings – same quest for simple beauty, same confidence in the power of the line.