Chair (Jack Knife Type) c. 1937

Rex Bush made this drawing of a "Chair (Jack Knife Type)" with, what looks like, pencil and watercolor. It's a pale drawing, a study in observation, not expression. I love the way that the off-white of the paper reads as the atmosphere around the chair, making it feel like it's floating in space. The woven seat is incredible, like a lesson in perspective. Look at the way that Rex Bush describes each vertical strut with light and shade, such subtle changes of tone. The whole composition is built up from tiny marks, gentle and deliberate. It reminds me of Agnes Martin's grids. They both take a simple form and make it sing through repetition and subtle variation. This piece is a reminder that drawing is about seeing, and that seeing is about taking the time to really look. It's a quiet, beautiful thing.