Office High Stool c. 1940

Ursula Lauderdale made this watercolor painting of a stool, sometime between 1855 and 1995. The color palette is muted, almost monochromatic, which gives it a quiet, contemplative feel. You can really see the hand of the artist at work. The material aspect is what really draws me in. The texture is smooth, the colors are translucent, almost delicate. The artist probably used thin brushes to build up the image with multiple layers. Look at the seat, you can see a hole, it is kind of falling apart. It's like a portrait of a well-used object, a silent witness to countless moments. That stool leg, slightly out of line, adds character and depth to the whole thing. It reminds me a little bit of Agnes Martin's work, in that both artists find beauty in simplicity. And that is a conversation that keeps going on in art.