Side Chair 1937

This 'Side Chair', made by Ruth Bialostosky, is awash with a beautiful, dark red watercolor that gives the impression of a velvet surface with a beautiful floral design. It's all about how the artist uses the watercolor medium to bring out the texture, color, and surface of the chair. You can almost feel the soft give of the fabric, or the solidness of the wooden frame. Bialostosky handles the watercolor with care; it’s neither too thick nor too thin, allowing the texture of the paper to peek through, which gives the painting a gentle, airy feel. Look closely at the way the shadows play around the legs of the chair – see how they ground it, making it feel present and real. It makes me think a little bit of Fairfield Porter, in the way it captures a domestic scene with such quiet intensity. But Bialostosky has her own voice, her own way of seeing the world. And in the end, that’s what art is all about: finding your own way to speak, to see, to be.