Table 1935 - 1942

Robert Brigadier drew this design for a table, maybe for the Brooklyn Museum, on the 23rd of March—I’m guessing it’s from the mid-twentieth century. It's all lines, crisp and clean, with measurements all over the place, like a secret code for carpenters. I can imagine Brigadier, armed with his ruler and a sharp pencil, mapping out every curve and corner. There's a practical poetry here. The table itself, with its Queen Anne legs and sweet, scalloped apron, feels like it's been lifted from a dream of elegance. I bet Brigadier knew that for every line he put down, someone would eventually feel the curve of that leg under their hand. This reminds me of the graphic scores some musicians make, which are artworks in themselves. Here, Brigadier's not just designing a table; he's composing a set of instructions to make it real in the world. Thinking through making: all art forms are like talking to each other.