Lowboy c. 1936

Alfred Walbeck made this watercolor rendering of a Lowboy, and the overall effect is kinda soothing, right? The controlled palette of browns and creams reminds me of a sepia photograph. Look at how the shadows have been carefully laid down. It’s a study in observation. You can almost smell the varnish, and hear the quiet scratch of the artist’s brush on the paper. I’m struck by the way Walbeck has laid down the pigment in layers to give the wood its rich, warm color. Take a look at the legs. See how they curve and taper, how the light catches on their surfaces? It’s really lovely. This careful depiction reminds me a little of the work of the Bechers and their approach to typologies, in its way this piece seems to consider the Lowboy as a distinct species of furniture. Art is like a game of telephone, each artist passing on ideas and forms in their own unique voice.