Windsor Desk Armchair c. 1937

Eugene Croe made this drawing of a Windsor Desk Armchair, and what strikes me is the sheer lovingness of it. You can see the artist's hand in the careful construction of the image; each line and tone patiently rendered to capture the chair’s form. I can just imagine him, bent over his drawing board, carefully observing every angle, curve, and joint. He would have been thinking about how each element fits together to create a functional and beautiful object. There is the texture of the wood, smooth and polished, or the gentle gradations of light and shadow that give the chair depth and dimension. It is this sort of careful rendering that reveals a quiet but palpable dialogue between the artist and his subject. Painters are always responding to one another's images, too. Just as he was trying to record a pre-existing form, other artists can build off of what Eugene Croe has created here to make something entirely new. Painting is like that – always looking backward to look forward, creating a lineage of artistic expression.