Twee fauteuils 1895 - 1935

Editor: Here we have "Twee fauteuils" - "Two armchairs" - by Léon Laroche, sometime between 1895 and 1935. It’s a drawing, done with watercolor on paper, showing two quite ornate chair designs. The details are captivating; what stands out to you most? Curator: The materiality, of course. Look at how the watercolor is used, mimicking textures, but also consider the chairs themselves as commodities. Who were these designs intended for? And what kind of labor went into the actual construction and upholstery of such elaborate pieces? These objects become emblems of wealth and social status through a very specific process of making. Editor: That's interesting; I hadn't considered that. I was just admiring the pretty colors! So, you’re thinking about the social implications of these chairs, more than their aesthetic appeal? Curator: Exactly! Think about the production of the fabrics. Are they locally sourced, or imported? The materials and how they were acquired—that reveals so much about trade routes, colonial exploitation perhaps, and the hierarchies of taste that permeated this period. The “decorative-art” label seems deceptively simple, doesn't it? Editor: It does now. What about the “Orientalism” tag? How does that fit in? Curator: Perhaps the fabrics or the motifs are inspired by non-Western cultures. Again, we have to think about consumption and appropriation. Is it genuine appreciation or exploitative pastiche? Consider also the labor needed to make these pieces, possibly unacknowledged or erased in the final luxurious product. Editor: This really opens my eyes to seeing beyond the surface of these objects. I never thought about chairs having such a complex story! Curator: Art, at its most revealing, makes us question the entire system that brings objects and images into being. Every brushstroke, every fabric choice, holds a clue.