Shaker Table 1937

Winslow Rich made this lovely watercolor on paper of a Shaker Table, and its soft tans and umbers just pull me right in. It’s the kind of palette that speaks of simple pleasures and functional beauty, artmaking as a deeply considered process. The surface is smooth, the washes of color delicate, which is interesting when you think about the Shaker aesthetic of simplicity and utility. Look at how the light catches the edges of the table, those subtle variations in tone that give it depth. And the drawer pull, a tiny circle of dark against the honeyed wood, it draws the eye, doesn't it? It's a small detail, but it’s where our attention lingers, where the functional becomes almost meditative. This piece reminds me of Agnes Martin’s quiet grids; both explore a kind of austere beauty in repetition and simplicity. It's a gentle reminder that art, like life, is often found in the details and the quiet moments.