Cromwellian Leather Side Chair 1935 - 1942

Gilbert Sackerman made this drawing of a Cromwellian Leather Side Chair, we don't know when and using an unknown medium. The chair is rendered with a limited palette of browns and tans, which are used to describe the wood and leather, and the drawing captures the texture of these materials. It looks like he used a combination of hatching and stippling to build up the forms, which gives the drawing a sense of depth and volume. I’m drawn to the backrest, to the worn leather, its imperfections. I find myself wondering about the people who might have sat in it, and the stories it could tell. Sackerman is capturing the past, not just the physical object, but the lives it has witnessed. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter, who also painted everyday objects with a similar sense of quiet observation. Art, in the end, is a conversation across time. It's not about answers but embracing the questions.