Card Table c. 1936

Curator: I see old money in this; something very refined and classical. An echo of a time gone by, maybe even something theatrical. Editor: Well said! What we’re observing is "Card Table," a watercolor work made around 1936 by Louis Annino. Look at how detailed it is. He has rendered every little swirl and turn of the wooden decoration. Curator: Annino certainly had a flair for capturing not just the physical object, but the entire essence of an era obsessed with elaborate refinement. And that walnut sheen – almost sinful! Editor: Yes, that lustrous wood tone speaks to the symbolism inherent in material possessions. For example, the legs on rollers make the table seem as though it were moving towards modernity, yet bound to tradition by its rich and decorative materiality. I would call those feet something that ties into wealth and permanence, like golden calves. Curator: You're absolutely right! Those wheels, those grasping golden feet…there is a very tactile and sensual dimension brought forth in the work. In one view the little rolling casters suggest movement, in another confinement, and the color palette evokes nostalgia—but in the most luxurious, velvety way. Editor: Exactly. Note how Annino contrasts light and shadow to give depth and shape to a piece of furniture. By depicting its material components through meticulous use of form and colour, and by giving us an idea about how it might be positioned within an interior setting, it represents an object that held status and elegance as a piece of history. Curator: The attention to the wood grain alone is astonishing. Every knot, every swirl is accounted for. Did they really use pineapple motifs in those days, or are my eyes deceiving me? But more importantly: who might have gathered at this table? What stories were born around this decorative place? Editor: Perhaps, as they played cards they were oblivious to this level of ornamentation in plain view? Annino truly elevated a simple piece of furniture to this object that transcends simple daily usage to become imbued with its own artistic soul! It carries echoes of history within its frame. Curator: Absolutely. And that's what great art does, right? It whispers secrets.