Rocking Chair c. 1881

Michael Thonet crafted this rocking chair from bentwood, a testament to industrial innovation, sometime in the 19th century. The immediate visual experience is one of fluid curves, creating a continuous, almost lyrical line that defines the chair's structure. The light wood and cane weaving offer a tactile contrast to the rigid forms, hinting at comfort and ease. This chair exemplifies the shift from ornamentation to functional design. Thonet's use of bentwood, a novel technique at the time, allows for a structural fluidity previously unattainable. The curves aren't merely decorative; they are integral to the chair's stability and rocking motion. This echoes the core tenets of structuralism, where form follows function. The chair becomes a signifier of modernity. The composition of the 'Rocking Chair' invites us to reconsider our relationship with furniture. It is an object that challenges fixed ideas about domestic space and engages with new ways of thinking about comfort and utility.