Side Chair 1937

Nicholas Gorid made this watercolour drawing of a chair, and it feels so delicately and precisely observed. I wonder what it was like for the artist to capture such a familiar object with such precision and care. Maybe he felt like he was entering a new conversation with the chair, or the idea of a chair? The way he's rendered it feels thoughtful, not rushed. The brown wash, the delicate highlights, and the floral seat – all so precisely rendered. It’s interesting how he describes the surface with these thin layers of paint, almost like he's building up the form gradually, allowing the light to catch on the wood grain. The carving in the backrest! It makes me think about the history of furniture design and the way it reflects cultural values and aesthetic preferences. It's like Gorid is in conversation with the past, picking up these ideas and reinterpreting them in his own way.