Settee c. 1936

Curator: Well, Editor, here we have Jack Bochner's "Settee," a drawing dating back to around 1936. Editor: Oh, lovely. There’s something instantly appealing about seeing the bones of a design laid bare like this, isn't there? The simple lines and the aged paper create this sense of a tangible idea, fresh from the designer's mind. Curator: Absolutely. You see the influence of early 19th-century furniture design—observe the geometric shapes, almost classical in their simplicity. A Settee is a symbol of domestic life, the quiet comforts of home... this skeletal drawing still holds so much history within those lines. Editor: Definitely! And to think this probably lived in a sketchbook! Look at the variations of perspective and it makes you wonder, doesn't it? What was he thinking about? About a specific client? About creating something entirely new, rooted in history? Curator: It prompts that questioning for sure. Notice, for example, how the armrests gently curve. It shows an intention for elegance amidst practicality. The sketch also reminds me that even functional design can carry deep symbolic meaning. The chair itself becomes a vessel of cultural and personal history, waiting for stories to fill its space. Editor: It is the potential of it, really. A seat isn't just for sitting, it is a place to rest and plot and have intimate conversations. A beautiful idea rendered so simply, in pencil on paper. Curator: The medium definitely contributes. There's a warmth and intimacy that come with pencil drawing. Also notice the faint reddish shading—a lovely detail amidst the precision. Editor: Mmh, I am thinking the imperfection and the fragility become part of the story of how ideas take hold and change, like a blueprint or faded dream that feels very tangible now. Thanks to this sketch. Curator: Beautifully said. Editor: Always a pleasure.