Hitchcock Chair c. 1937

This is Harry Jenning’s ‘Hitchcock Chair’, made with paint on paper, but when? We don’t know. I love the way the image isolates parts of the chair, like a forensic investigation into the construction of this everyday object. The palette of deep browns and light ochres feels both homely and slightly unsettling. You can see the texture of the paint, built up in layers to create a sense of depth and shadow. Take the long, horizontal section, perhaps a chair arm? See how the artist has used tiny strokes to describe the carved patterns? It’s as if Jennings is inviting us to understand the chair not just as a functional object, but as an artwork in itself. It reminds me of some of the analytical cubist paintings by Picasso and Braque, where objects are broken down into their constituent parts and reassembled on the canvas. It’s a reminder that art is about how we see, not just what we see, and that everything around us can be a source of inspiration.