Settee - Sofa c. 1937

Edna Rex made this watercolour painting on paper. It shows a settee. A settee can be so inviting, can't it? Rex has created a rather beautiful rendering here, a kind of homage to the luxurious, decorative object. I can imagine her studying every detail, every curve, every little button of that upholstery. I bet she loved drawing the play of light on the ornate wooden frame, too. I can feel Edna’s hand in this, delicately applying each wash of colour, slowly building up the form and volume. The whole thing shimmers with light and air. It reminds me of the Dutch Masters, you know, how they’d render humble domestic objects into something truly poetic. Maybe Edna was looking at that tradition. Either way, she’s making that conversation her own. I love how painters find ways of seeing, thinking and feeling through each other’s work. It’s an ongoing exchange across time.