Sofa (Sheraton) 1935 - 1942

Simon Weiss made this drawing of a Sheraton sofa, we don’t know exactly when, but it was probably with pencil and watercolor. The lines are clean and precise but there’s a sensitivity to the touch, a softness, in the way the color is applied. I love how the artist captured the fuzzy nap of the upholstery. You can almost feel the texture of the fabric, like that slightly worn velvet you sink into. The shadows are beautifully rendered. Notice how they aren't just grey blobs but have a subtle range of hues that bring the whole image to life. It's like Weiss is not just drawing a sofa but also drawing the light around it, the air itself. This piece reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, in that both artists find the sublime in the simple and mundane, elevating the everyday into something transcendent. For Weiss, it's a sofa. For Martin, it's a grid.