Side Chair 1936

Editor: This is Joseph Rothenberg's "Side Chair," a 1936 drawing made with watercolor. It has a quiet, formal presence, but I find myself wondering, why depict just a chair? How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's crucial to look beyond the simple image and consider what the chair might represent. Think about its historical context – 1936, the Depression era. The chair, usually an object of comfort or status, is rendered here as almost austere. Do you notice how the Gothic details of the back feel at odds with its plain setting? Editor: Yes, I see that contrast. It almost feels…deceptive. Like a relic of something grander but now isolated. Curator: Precisely! It asks us to consider social hierarchies, perhaps the fall from grace experienced by many during that period. Who sat in this chair, and what did that signify? What does it mean to reproduce it at this moment? Is it a functional item or a symbol? Editor: So, the drawing becomes a commentary on class and social change. I hadn’t considered that. Curator: Think about the chair’s potential presence within a home: is it included or excluded from a central gathering area? Does its design indicate a person of prominence or more common tastes? Rothenberg encourages us to question the stories behind the objects we often take for granted. Editor: That's a completely different way of seeing it! It’s not just a chair; it’s a loaded signifier. Thank you for shedding light on the social dimensions here! Curator: My pleasure. Keep questioning!