Side Chair c. 1937

Louis Annino made this drawing of a chair, we don’t know when, with what looks like watercolour or gouache. There’s something so sweet about the way the object is presented so plainly, smack bang in the center of the page. The colour palette is muted and calming: creams, browns, and greys. The paint handling is flat, yet precise, the artist taking great care in describing the details of the chair. I imagine Annino carefully building up the image, line by line, almost like a technical drawing or an architect’s rendering. Look closely at the ornate shield-shaped back, the radiating lines like sun rays. This almost ecclesiastical detail elevates the humble chair to something grander. I love the way this piece reminds me of the Shaker furniture tradition, in which objects are stripped down to their most essential forms. It's like a conversation between craft and art. And it's a reminder that art-making can be about slowing down and seeing the beauty in the everyday.