Chair 1941

Archie Thompson rendered this chair in watercolor on paper, and it’s like he’s handing us a piece of furniture history. There’s a real tenderness in the way he’s depicted it, all these little flourishes of detail. Look at the way the legs taper, how the back is shaped - it’s a love letter to craft. You can almost feel the hand of the maker, the slow process of carving and joining. The colours are restrained, earthy reds and browns, like aged wood warmed by the sun. There's such patience in the way Thompson has built up the tones in the wood of the chair, like a slow reveal. It reminds me of folk art, where everyday objects become icons, infused with the spirit of the community. Like those Shaker chairs, simple yet profound. Thompson seems to be saying that beauty resides in the functional, in the things we live with. There’s something so generous about that.