Block-front Desk c. 1937

This "Block-front Desk" was painted by Harry Eisman sometime in the twentieth century, but we don't know exactly when, or where. I look at this image of furniture and think about Eisman, alone in his studio, carefully rendering each curve and shadow. It must have been a labour of love, with Eisman meticulously building up the layers of color to capture the warm, lustrous finish of the wood. I feel a sense of connection to him, across time, as he translated a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional space. And the funny thing is, even though it’s a representation of a thing, a desk, I feel like he was also trying to do something that all painters attempt: capture an essence, create a mood, and even tell a story with color, tone and form. Eisman's careful attention makes me see the beauty in the everyday.