Queen Anne Side Chair 1936

This little drawing of a chair was made by Alvin M. Gully in 1936, and it’s like a love letter to simple, everyday objects. The muted palette, mostly browns and tans, gives it a quiet, contemplative vibe, like a memory fading into sepia. What strikes me is the way Gully uses light and shadow to give the chair form. It's softly modeled, with no hard edges, so it feels like it exists in a gentle, dreamlike space. Look at how the woven seat is rendered; each strand is suggested rather than painstakingly drawn, which adds to the overall feeling of warmth and intimacy. It's like Gully is saying, "I see you, simple chair, and I appreciate your quiet beauty." It reminds me of some of Fairfield Porter’s more domestic scenes, where the everyday becomes extraordinary through careful observation and a loving touch. Art, after all, is just about seeing, and maybe even more about feeling.