Rocking Settee Cradle c. 1936

Beverly Chichester made this 'Rocking Settee Cradle' painting, and it is like she is thinking through the object of a cradle in paint. She repeats her understanding of it twice. The larger cradle is rendered in careful red detail, but what I like most about it is her inclusion of the bare bones of the object beneath: a blueprint to ensure she has understood the essence of the cradle. It feels like a notation, a shorthand, a code, or a plan of its very self. The rocking curves bring a sense of life to the object, as if it is moving even when still. I have a feeling that Chichester was interested in furniture, and the way functional objects have a life and dynamism all of their own. There is something comforting and familiar here. I wonder who else she admired? How did she learn to paint? And was painting a way of thinking for her?