Side Chair 1935 - 1942

This is Paul Farkas’ ‘Side Chair’. It is rendered with a keen eye for detail, particularly in the chair's back, which features a striking urn motif. The urn, historically a vessel for ashes, is here transformed into a symbol of neoclassicism, a revival of classical forms. This evokes a sense of memory, loss, and transformation, echoing ancient funerary rites. This symbol is not new but rather a palimpsest. Consider how similar motifs, such as the amphora, appear throughout ancient Greek pottery and architecture. Over time, the urn, like the amphora, has transitioned from a symbol of mourning to one of aesthetic appreciation, demonstrating the human capacity to repurpose symbols. The chair itself, an everyday object, becomes a carrier of cultural memory, reflecting the enduring influence of the past on our present. The artist, through his craft, taps into a collective consciousness, reminding us of our continuous dialogue with history.