Stoel met biezen zitting en langwerpig paneel aan de achterzijde c. 1925

This chair with a rush seat and elongated back panel was made by Cor Alons, but I don’t know exactly when. What strikes me is the material and how its handled; the wood is carefully constructed, each plane considered, but then you get to the back panel and it’s been stained with these dark, almost melancholic tones. There is such a contrast between the way the wood is shaped into rigid verticals and horizontals, and the way the stain is handled. The surface is dark, almost black, but when you look closely you can see the traces of the wood grain and these subtle gradations of light. I keep thinking about how the solid, practical form of the chair meets this abstract plane, like an infinite abyss. It's a bit like Rothko, or maybe Ad Reinhardt, but in furniture! The contrast between form and surface sets up a dialogue between functionality and decoration; it feels unresolved, but also alive with creative possibility.