Armchair c. 1936

Bernard Gussow rendered this drawing of an armchair with graphite and watercolor. The chair is placed squarely in the center, its symmetry emphasized by the geometry of its form. The watercolor wash gives a soft, diffuse light which makes the chair almost glow against the plain paper. The design plays with intersections and structured openings. Note the crisscrossing lines that form diamond shapes on the backrest. Above, three horizontal bars sit neatly between two vertical posts. These elements create a visual rhythm, each part relating to the others in a carefully considered pattern. This gives the chair a sense of lightness despite its solid form. Consider how the drawing reduces the armchair to its essential structure: the support for the body, the balance of weight and space, and the harmony of line and shape. The chair is not just furniture, it is a study in geometric harmony. Gussow invites us to consider the underlying structure that holds the chair, and perhaps the world, together.