Court Cupboard c. 1936

Louis Annino made this rendering of a Court Cupboard with what looks like watercolor, pencil and ink. I love how the artist used what seems to be graphite to create the tonal shading on the wood, it’s so meticulous! Look at the wood grain and how the artist has used tiny marks to build up the form. You can almost feel the texture of the surface of the wood. The whole piece gives off a comforting, somewhat antiquated atmosphere. What's also striking is the flat, almost illustrative quality, particularly in the decorative carvings. It’s so different from the dimensional illusion created by the graphite shading in the doors and pillars. I’m put in mind of the work of outsider artists like Bill Traylor, who transformed found materials into works of art. Similarly, Annino's focus on a practical object imbues it with unexpected artistic significance.