Wing Chair c. 1940

Rolland Livingstone made this watercolor of a wing chair sometime during his long life. It's really about how you can build something up with layers of color, like a sculpture, revealing the form through shadows and highlights. The chair itself looks pretty solid, all done in shades of brown, but what's interesting is how the material qualities come through. You can almost feel the texture of the upholstery, the way the light catches on the wooden legs. Look at how Livingstone renders the curves and details of the chair's legs – it's almost like he's caressing the surface with his brush, slowly building up the form. It's not just about depicting the chair, it's about capturing the feeling of it, its presence in the room. There’s something of a Giorgio Morandi about this; his still lifes have a similar muted palette, and a quiet, contemplative quality. With this piece, the point isn’t to say something definite, but to create a space for looking and feeling.