Side Chair 1936

Editor: Here we have Joseph Rothenberg's "Side Chair," created in 1936 using colored pencils and possibly other drawing media to imitate wood. It's deceptively simple, but something about the lines and shading make it really compelling. What strikes you most about it? Curator: I’m drawn to the tension between representation and reality. We have this drawing *of* a chair, simulating wood grain and texture. But that simulation highlights the very *process* of making. Think about the labor involved – someone crafted a chair, probably for everyday use, and then someone else painstakingly recreated it on paper using entirely different materials. Editor: So, the drawing isn't just about the chair itself? Curator: Exactly. Consider the economic context. A mass produced metal chair, for example, has very different connotations. What does it mean to depict *this* particular, possibly hand-crafted chair, in the middle of the Depression? Editor: I see what you mean. The choice of subject then becomes almost a political statement. Highlighting handcraft as valuable work. Curator: Precisely. And by using colored pencils, Rothenberg challenges a hierarchy – elevates what might be considered "craft" material, blurring the boundaries between fine art and popular, or even folk, art. Does that change your view of it at all? Editor: It definitely makes me think about value in new ways. I was initially just appreciating the aesthetic, but now I'm seeing how the piece also communicates a complex message about production and society. Curator: It's a potent reminder that even the simplest images are laden with meaning related to the labor and materials behind them.