Pa. German Dower Chest c. 1936

Bernard Krieger made this watercolour and graphite rendering of a Pa. German Dower Chest. The blue body and the brown top are almost muted, as if weathered with age. Across the front, light partitions separate three scenes, each alive with birds, flowers, and celestial forms, evoking a garden or an interior space, rendered in naive folk style. I imagine Krieger taking his time, carefully observing the proportions and details of the original chest. He probably paused, considering each brushstroke. What was he thinking? Maybe contemplating the lives of the people who owned and cherished this object. Maybe thinking about what they valued. The texture of the paper gives the piece a tactile feel, like touching the wood itself, and it makes me think how art is always conversing across time. Krieger's drawing reminds us that art can be a form of preservation, remembrance, and connection to the past, transforming the everyday into something meaningful.