Side Chair c. 1936

This side chair was painted with watercolor and graphite by Charles Garjian. It's mostly delicate strokes, and earthy muted reds, with darker browns and blacks for shadow. I can imagine Garjian hunched over his desk, squinting, trying to capture the light as it hits the tufted cushion and elaborate carving. Each stroke of graphite and watercolor is a little decision, a tiny adjustment in tone and direction. You can almost feel him wrestling with the material, pushing it this way and that, trying to conjure up form. I bet he was muttering to himself. Look at the legs, how they curve and taper like they are about to dance. It reminds me a bit of Guston, how he could take something ordinary and imbue it with so much personality. Garjian's painting is a reminder that art isn't just about perfect representation; it's about the conversation between the artist and the world, and how that conversation unfolds on the canvas.