Settee 1935 - 1942

George Loughridge made this watercolor drawing of a settee sometime in the 20th century; he patiently built it up with soft, semi-transparent strokes. You can really see how the hand moved, one mark at a time. The color story here is quiet, all earth tones except for the striped cushion. This little pop of color is so appealing against the muted palette of the rest of the piece. What stands out to me is the way the artist built up the wood tones with lots of thin layers of different shades of brown. It's like he’s trying to capture the very essence of wood, not just its appearance. The way he rendered the texture of the rattan, with all those tiny crisscrossing lines, is so delicate. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin’s drawings. Both artists share that attention to detail, that focus on the meditative process of mark-making. Ultimately, it speaks to the enduring appeal of seeing the world through the eyes of another artist. It's a conversation, and there's no right or wrong answer.