Cherry Chest of Drawers c. 1941

This Cherry Chest of Drawers was made with watercolor on paper by Joseph Ficcadenti. Look at how he patiently built up the image, stroke by stroke, like a slow dance between hand and eye. I love how the color creates an overall impression of warmth and familiarity. The grain of the wood is evoked using closely placed parallel strokes, giving the surface of the wood a palpable texture. You can imagine how Ficcadenti built up this image, patiently layering on the color, one stroke at a time, to conjure a simple domestic scene. The small, slightly off-kilter, brass keyholes, seem like little suns that punctuate the image. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi, another artist obsessed with rendering the surfaces of familiar objects in a soft, muted palette.