Chair 1935 - 1942

B. Holst-Grubbe made this watercolour painting of a chair. It’s a simple, homely thing, rendered with so much care. I can imagine the artist pausing, looking, mixing washes of colour, and then applying them to the page to capture the warm, woody tones and woven textures of the chair. Maybe the artist was also thinking about other artists who found inspiration in their everyday surroundings. Look how Holst-Grubbe built up the form of the chair from a series of lines and tones. There’s a gentle and deliberate touch to each mark, as the artist attempts to capture the essence of this humble object. It's a great example of how artists see beauty in the mundane and invite us to contemplate the value of simple things. I bet you'll never look at a chair in the same way again.