Chair (Arm) 1941

Hal Blakeley made this watercolor of a chair, its date is unknown. The way the artist lays down the color is very deliberate, almost architectural in its planning. The texture in this watercolor is something to notice. It’s not just a flat wash, you know? There’s a real sense of the grain in the wood, almost like you can feel the chair. Look at the armrests; the artist used thin, transparent layers. Each of these layers adds depth and gives it that feeling of age, like the chair has been around for years. It makes me think about time and history. There’s a real conversation here. Someone like Fairfield Porter might be looking at this and thinking about light and form. But, with this piece, it’s like Blakeley invites us to consider an everyday object from a unique, slightly skewed perspective. It is an ongoing conversation, and that’s what makes art so alive.