Shaker Small Corner Cupboard c. 1937

Lon Cronk made this drawing of a Shaker corner cupboard, date unknown, with what looks like colored pencil and ink on paper. The evenness of the colors and the lines feel precise, almost technical, like a diagram. I'm drawn to the color palette - that warm wood tone against the cool blue of the wainscoting is so pleasing! The artist has taken the time to describe the different planes of this furniture with careful lines and color. It makes me wonder, what other objects did Lon Cronk draw? I’m curious about his process - was this a rendering of an existing piece, or a proposition for something to be made? That small keyhole is so compelling, almost comical in its insistent presence. I feel like I want to open the door and peer inside, and I guess that’s what all art really does - it opens a door into another world, and invites us in. Maybe it's like a Donald Judd sculpture, with its simple geometric forms and emphasis on materiality. Art, like furniture, is about creating space and framing experience.