Highboy by Martin Partyka

Highboy c. 1937

0:00
0:00

drawing

# 

beige

# 

photo of handprinted image

# 

drawing

# 

aged paper

# 

toned paper

# 

water colours

# 

pastel soft colours

# 

muted colour palette

# 

white palette

# 

watercolour illustration

# 

watercolor

Dimensions: overall: 35.6 x 27.8 cm (14 x 10 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: none given

Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0

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.

Show more

Comments

No comments

Be the first to comment and join the conversation on the ultimate creative platform.