Ladder Back Chair c. 1939

This is Roger Deats' Ladder Back Chair, made with what looks like pencil and watercolor. The palette is muted, mostly browns and tans, but the artist has really worked those colors, layering them to give a sense of depth. I'm drawn to the way Deats has rendered the woven seat. It's not just a flat plane; each strand seems to have its own texture and weight. Look closely and you can see individual lines and dabs of color that suggest the rough, tactile quality of the woven material. The whole piece has a kind of humble beauty to it. You know, it reminds me a little of some of Fairfield Porter's paintings of domestic objects, a similar celebration of the everyday. Ultimately, it’s this attention to detail, this quiet observation, that makes the work so compelling. It’s a testament to how much beauty can be found in the simplest of things if we just take the time to really look.