Lowboy c. 1953

Louis Annino's "Lowboy," of indeterminate date, presents a detailed study in watercolor, focusing our attention on the form and materiality of a classic furniture piece. The reddish-brown wood, rendered with careful shading, immediately conveys a sense of warmth. Annino meticulously captures the structure of the lowboy, breaking it down into its essential geometric forms. The drawers, with their brass pulls, create a horizontal rhythm against the cabriole legs, which introduce a dynamic, curvilinear element. The fan-shaped carving disrupts the regularity of the drawers, suggesting an interest in disrupting the formal expectations of the piece. Through his focus on form and detail, Annino invites us to consider how we perceive and categorize familiar objects. The artwork functions not just as a depiction but as a lens through which we can analyze the interplay between form and function, structure and ornament. The clean execution prompts ongoing interpretation about how the traditional and the modern intersect.