Side Chair 1935 - 1942

Curator: Carl Weiss rendered this "Side Chair" sometime between 1935 and 1942 using colored pencil and watercolor. Editor: Wow, so muted. It gives me a real feeling of restraint, doesn't it? Like holding back, maybe even suppression. Curator: It's fascinating how an everyday object can be laden with meaning. We could explore the history of chair design itself. What did a simple chair represent during the Depression era? Or, more pointedly, who was *allowed* to sit? Considering class, gender, race... these all factor into access and privilege. Editor: Exactly. Blue like that, feels like a hushed promise, almost like, "Quiet now, things will get better". But will they? Who gets a seat at the table, literally or figuratively? That blue against the brown, a sturdy melancholy. You know? Like a blues song. Curator: It makes me think about the New Deal and its limited impact. Weiss's "Side Chair" becomes a symbol, a stand-in for broader discussions on power dynamics and representation. It’s important to address who has the luxury to contemplate aesthetics when basic needs aren't being met. Editor: Absolutely. It makes me wanna see it animated somehow, morphing, reforming into…other chairs. A throne, an electric chair, a child's highchair. What about a director's chair? You know… exploring the whole hierarchy of sitting. Curator: And that is how a seemingly simple watercolor sketch can act as a lens through which to analyze socio-economic inequalities and artistic choices. It pushes us to look deeper. Editor: Definitely gets you thinking. You know, who knew a chair could carry so much weight?