Chair c. 1941

Louita Gourley made this drawing of a chair with what looks like brown watercolour. There's something so tender about the way Gourley captures the light and shadow on the wood, focusing on the way one shape connects to another. I really love how the sparseness of the colour palette and the simple composition draws our attention to the bare bones of the chair, as if it is an x-ray. I also wonder if there might be something more to the missing seat. Did Gourley leave this out for a reason? Is the missing seat a metaphor for something incomplete? Thinking about other artists, Agnes Martin also comes to mind, with her pared down line work. But where Martin's work feels ethereal, Gourley's feels grounded, humble, and human. It reminds me that the most profound art can be found in the everyday.