"Ladder Back" Chair - Called "Jolting Chair" c. 1936

Magnus S. Fossum made this drawing of a chair sometime in the mid-20th century. The kind of mark-making here is so indicative of someone trying to observe and record, it's not about 'expression,' but about careful looking. The pale green of the wood is so delicate, a really quiet harmony. It's a color that speaks of restraint and functionality, but it’s also pretty, not a color you see so much these days! Looking closely, you can see the artist has used a kind of hatching technique to build up the color and volume. See how the parallel lines give a subtle sense of depth and texture to the chair's surface, it's an almost topographical rendering, a map of the object's form! The ladder back of the chair is my favorite, its verticality anchoring the piece, reminding me a little of Agnes Martin, though Martin’s drawing, of course, are abstract. I like to think of art as a big conversation, across time, across different media.