Armchair c. 1936

Rolland Livingstone’s “Armchair” is a delicate rendering, maybe a watercolor or gouache, of an elegant piece of furniture. You can tell he’s really thinking about this chair; it's not just documentation, but a kind of love letter to its form. Look at the way he builds up the dark wood of the frame. The brown isn't just brown. See how it shimmers and varies, with these subtle gradations of light and shadow. Livingstone is relishing the process, letting the paint do its thing. The seat cushion, with its tiny pastoral scene, is a burst of soft pink against the formality of the chair's structure. I love the way those loose, impressionistic marks create a sense of depth and texture without getting overly fussy. It reminds me a little of a Hopper painting, actually, a similar sense of quiet observation. It's like Livingstone is inviting us to contemplate the beauty of the everyday, to see the world with fresh eyes. And isn't that what art is all about?