Desk 1940

Ferdinand Cartier made this drawing of a Desk without giving us the date, just the bare bones of an object. But what an object! I can imagine him drafting this design, with an eye for utility, but also a passion for the gorgeous grain of the wood. The dark, swirling patterns are so alive! It’s like looking at a landscape contained within the smooth surface. I see the artist carefully rendering the play of light on the rounded finials, echoing the curves in the grain, and I wonder if he was picturing where it might stand, how it would serve its owner. It's a beautiful, thoughtful meditation on form and function. It reminds me that the conversation between artists and makers never really stops, and we’re all just riffing on each other's ideas, trying to make something beautiful and useful in our own way.