Side Chair c. 1941

Herbert S. Frere made this drawing of a side chair, sometime between 1855 and 1995, with what looks like watercolour on paper. Frere’s chair kind of floats in the middle of the page, doesn’t it? It has this lovely quality; a kind of dreaminess about it. The lines are so delicate, almost tentative, but they give real form to the object. I am drawn to the way Frere has rendered the dark wood in washes of brown, so the chair almost seems to glow. It’s like he’s finding the form through the colour, letting the light dictate the shape. Then there is that ultramarine blue seat, that's just sitting there; a bold contrast to the brown. For me, this piece speaks to the beauty of the everyday and reminds me of the quiet still lives by Giorgio Morandi. Both artists share an ability to imbue simple objects with a profound sense of presence. In the end, it’s the artist's touch, the way they choose to see and represent the world that really matters, isn't it?