Highboy c. 1937

Martin Partyka rendered this watercolor drawing of a Highboy, date unknown. The Highboy’s symmetry is immediately striking, creating a balanced yet somewhat rigid visual experience. Partyka's choice to depict the Highboy head-on emphasizes its verticality, drawing our eye upwards. The drawers, stacked and uniform, create a rhythm broken only by the slight variations in the wood grain. This grain, mimicked in the curvilinear legs, introduces a layer of complexity, contrasting with the cabinet's otherwise strict geometry. The handles, small and geometric, punctuate the wood's organic pattern, each acting as a signifier of function within this organized form. Partyka is not simply representing furniture; he’s exploring the tension between natural forms and constructed order. The Highboy, through Partyka’s rendering, becomes a meditation on structure and the subtle beauty of controlled chaos.