Crock c. 1937

Yolande Delasser made this beautiful study of a crock, we don't know exactly when or with what materials, but I can really feel her working through the problem of how to capture something three-dimensional on paper. There's something so lovely about the slightly different approaches she takes. In the upper rendering, you can clearly see the line, the almost diagrammatic way she’s figured out the shape. But below, it's all about the color of the earthenware and the dreamy blue floral motif. I love the way the blue seems to bloom on the surface. If you look closely, you can see the delicate texture of the paper coming through. It's as if she’s trying to conjure the spirit of the crock. Delasser reminds me of artists like Marsden Hartley, with her commitment to observation as a kind of personal, almost devotional act. It's like she's saying, "Look, isn't this incredible? Isn't the world amazing?" And, you know, it is.