Jug c. 1937

Charles Caseau made this small painting, Jug, with delicate blues over a warm neutral ground. I can imagine Caseau in the studio, turning a form in his mind, how it feels to move a line in space, trying it this way, then that. The jug motif is more felt than seen. The brushstrokes aren't really trying to represent anything. They are floating, unbound, becoming something new. Look how thin the paint is, stained into the paper like watercolor. The texture gives it an earthy, grounded feel, while the blue sings out like a bright idea. That ribbon-like tendril, arcing across the surface, feels generous. Caseau is in conversation with Matisse here, as well as other artists who take humble subject matter and make it sing. It's like, how many ways can we remake the world with a brush and some paint? Painting embraces that uncertainty and invites endless ways of seeing.