Handmade Chair - Rawhide Seat c. 1939

This handmade chair with a rawhide seat was drawn by Manuel G. Runyan in 1855. Look at those watercolor washes – light and thin. The color says 'wood,' but it’s more like an idea of wood. I imagine Runyan, squinting at the chair, trying to capture its essence. What's amazing is how Runyan transforms something functional into a delicate, almost ethereal, thing. The texture of the rawhide seat is so palpable, you can almost feel the grain. That curve in the back? It echoes the curve of the seat, a little dance of lines. It reminds me a bit of Fairfield Porter, who also found beauty in the everyday. Artists like Runyan are in constant conversation with the world around them, transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary. It's a beautiful reminder to slow down and really see.