Chair c. 1939

Ralph Morton made this drawing of a chair, we don't know exactly when, with what looks like watercolour. I imagine Morton, peering intensely, trying to capture every detail of this chair, which is both simple and incredibly intricate. It’s funny, isn't it? How everyday objects, when we really look at them, become these complex puzzles. He's not just painting a chair; he's painting light, shadow, texture. The wicker seat looks really great. I can almost feel the give of it under my weight. There’s a kind of humility in focusing on something so ordinary. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter, who made paintings of domestic life elevated to this really poignant level. Ultimately, art is about seeing—not just looking, but truly seeing. And Morton, with this quiet little drawing, invites us to see the beauty in the mundane. These paintings are prompts, little thought experiments, and gifts from one artist to another across time.