Kitchen Chair c. 1935

Rosa Burger made this drawing of a "Kitchen Chair" and I'm struck by the soft palette of browns and yellows, creating an intimate portrayal of a utilitarian object. You know, you look at a chair like this, and you think about the person who made it. It’s got that earnest simplicity, that feeling that someone cared about how the rungs met the legs, about the curve of the back. I imagine Burger sitting in her kitchen, really looking at this chair, letting her eye wander over its surfaces, trying to capture its essence. And there’s something so beautiful and so human about that. The lines are delicate and there's a real tenderness to the way she renders the woodgrain. It reminds me of folk art traditions, where everyday objects become imbued with meaning and history. We’re all in conversation, all the time, trying to figure out this thing called life, trying to make sense of the world around us. And sometimes, that conversation happens through a simple drawing of a kitchen chair.