Shaker Secretary c. 1936

Howard Weld rendered this Shaker Secretary with pencil and watercolor sometime in the 20th century. Just look at the way the wash of color softly describes this piece of furniture! You can almost smell the wood. I wonder what Weld was thinking as he was working? I imagine he was interested in the geometric shapes of the furniture, with its squared-off edges. This reminds me of how Agnes Martin used geometric forms, albeit in a more abstract way. But it's the same impulse of trying to understand structure and space. I love the open doors at the top; they hint at hidden depths. It’s almost like Weld is inviting us to look inside, to see how things are made, how they fit together. The way he captured the light is really stunning, too. You can see the influence of Shaker design with its simplicity, functionality, and craft. It's like a conversation across time and artistic styles.