Chair 1935 - 1942

This small watercolor, entitled 'Chair,' comes to us anonymously. It's a drawing, really, with watercolor washes to define the light on the object. The color palette is pretty limited; it's all in the ochre family. Look how the paint seems to float, translucent in places, over the dark brown lines of the chair’s carved wood. The artist has this confidence in line, like they know exactly how to capture the curve of a leg or the tuft of the chair back. It’s all about touch. I mean, imagine running your hand along the carved edges—you can almost feel it, right? The drawing is pretty skillful, but also unpretentious, like a study. It reminds me a bit of Guston's late works, where objects become characters. You can't quite put your finger on the artist, and in the end, isn't it more interesting that way?