Mahogany Chair with Card Rose Design on UpperWrung c. 1937

Florence Truelson made this watercolour of a Mahogany Chair, with what looks like a blue velvet seat. You can almost feel how she worked, carefully layering the washes, building up those rich mahogany tones and the plushy blue. I can just imagine Florence, perched on a stool, squinting at the light as she tried to capture the way it gleams on the wood. Those dark lines that define the chair's curves – they’re so deliberate, so full of intention. It’s like she’s trying to understand the chair itself, how it holds its weight, how it fits into a room. You know, I bet she spent hours just looking at that chair, tracing its shape with her eyes, before she even picked up a brush. Painters are always in conversation with each other across time, borrowing, stealing, and riffing off ideas. I bet that Florence was inspired by the designs she saw around her, taking cues from furniture makers and other artists. And now, here we are, looking at her painting, adding our own thoughts to the mix. It’s a beautiful chain reaction, really.