Twee stoelen 1784 - 1796

Editor: Here we have “Twee stoelen,” or “Two Chairs,” a pen drawing by Jean Baptiste Fay, dating from somewhere between 1784 and 1796. The drawing itself feels quite formal, almost like an architect's blueprint. But what do you see beyond just the surface presentation? What stories do these chairs whisper to you? Curator: Ah, a blueprint, you say! I see not cold geometry but the ghost of elegance. These chairs, designed during the reign of Neoclassicism, weren't merely for sitting. They were statements. Symbols, really. I imagine someone sketching these with quill in hand, a wig slightly askew, dreaming of order and grace in a world edging toward revolution. See how the straight lines dance with delicate floral details? It’s restraint flirting with pure joy. Does it remind you of anything, any feeling? Editor: It does remind me a bit of the tension before a storm - calm, but charged. All the straight lines ready to fall. Given they're from a time of upheaval. Did everyone have such fancy chairs? Curator: Oh, heavens, no! Only those who could afford such luxuries. These weren’t for the masses; they were for the few, a quiet assertion of status. It's a strange contradiction to draw them in this geometric, accessible way... Almost like democratizing access to the aesthetic of luxury. Food for thought, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Definitely food for thought! I’ll never look at a chair the same way again. It really brings the drawing to life.