Side Chair 1935 - 1942

Mattie P. Goodman made this watercolor of a side chair. Look at the way she builds up the form through these delicate washes. I am trying to imagine the repetitive motion of applying each thin layer, each little brushstroke building up to define the volume, shape, texture, and colour. The light catches the wood in the chair's back. This careful attention, and a sense of something solid, real, even sculptural, slowly emerging. It's just a chair, but I bet she saw more than just an object, maybe even a hint of personality. As painters, we are often in conversation with each other across time, learning from one another how to see the world. With watercolour, Goodman manages to conjure a whole world.