Highboy c. 1941

Curator: What do you see here? I get an almost theatrical sense of dignity from it. It’s like an actor patiently awaiting its cue. Editor: I think that's wonderful way of phrasing it, there’s certainly presence there. The artist, David S. De Vault, titled it *Highboy,* and from what we gather, he made it circa 1941 using watercolours. It’s a pretty direct depiction of, well, a highboy. Curator: Yes, but look at the handling of the light. It feels so gentle, doesn't it? The colours really glow; a gentle blush rises from the wood as if whispering, "Remember me." There’s such an aura of careful affection present. I almost wonder what he stored in his highboy...what stories were held in the drawers. Editor: As a visual record, what really stands out for me are the formal repetitions; see how the shell-shaped motifs, subtly fanned out across the panels, interact with the linear arrangement of the drawers and legs below. Then there’s the contrast between the rectilinear forms, and those curvaceous legs grounding the piece. It’s classical form, really elegant design… but the artist is observing this object and rendering the forms with slight precision. There's even something subtly subversive at play; like the asymmetry around the crest. It's all balanced… but it isn't. Curator: Do you think De Vault was particularly invested in such subtle tensions between perfect symmetry and its gentle warping here? It's quite lovely but, to be honest, I suspect he may just be demonstrating that even when we pursue perfection, our quirks remain, much like handwriting; we have some control, but our style endures regardless! Editor: That's a refreshing take, I think! Still, even if De Vault wasn't thinking about abstract aesthetic tensions and just trying to render form and volume to the best of his skill, he nonetheless has delivered something of both charm and enduring visual impact. Curator: That’s well said, like an old song learned long ago; a few misremembered lyrics only amplify the enduring emotion.