Hadley Chest c. 1937

This drawing of a Hadley Chest was made by Martin Partyka, sometime between 1855 and 1995. It’s an image of a wooden chest, rendered with a lot of love and a keen eye for detail. Look closely, and you'll notice how the artist meticulously maps out the elaborate carvings that adorn the chest's surface. It’s a landscape of swirling vines, leaves, and perhaps even some hidden creatures. The warm, brown tones of the wood are so carefully described. It feels like you could run your fingers across the surface, feeling the texture of the wood. I'm drawn to the way Partyka uses the color to bring out the play of light and shadow on the carved surfaces. Notice how the light catches the edges of the raised carvings, creating a sense of depth and dimension. It reminds me a bit of the drawings of Charles Burchfield, who used line and colour to animate the world around him. Ultimately, the beauty here lies in the obsessive mark making and the intimacy with which the artist seems to regard the source material.