Rawhide Bottomed Chair 1940

Curator: Here we have Rafaela Gomez’s "Rawhide Bottomed Chair" from 1940, executed with watercolor, pencil, and perhaps charcoal, judging by the line work. Editor: My initial thought? Humble. Utilitarian. There's a quiet dignity in its simplicity; it makes you think about home. Curator: Yes, the stark realism really emphasizes the objectness of the chair, its almost brutal construction... Observe the careful attention Gomez pays to the subtle gradations in tone, lending weight and presence. The materiality is key. Editor: Brutal? Maybe… But I find beauty in its bareness, its honesty. It isn’t trying to be anything it isn't. It evokes a sense of weathered comfort. Like a well-worn saddle, that rawhide has stories etched into it, don’t you think? Curator: Rawhide’s tensile strength is remarkable… What’s compelling, formally, is the contrast between the rigid geometry of the frame and the yielding organic curve of the seat. It plays with our notions of support and resilience. Editor: You see tensile strength, I see a well-placed backside. It makes me think of late afternoons, cool lemonade, maybe some porch-swing philosophy with grandma… A kind of slow life that feels far away now. It's less about the structure, for me, and more about the life lived around it. Curator: The drawing, beyond its representational function, really dissects the concept of support and repose in pictorial space; notice the implied negative space. The chair occupies this blank page. Editor: To me, it almost becomes a portrait, but a portrait of absence. The chair's alone, suggesting an invitation for companionship. This stark loneliness—that really stands out for me. Curator: Indeed, perhaps that loneliness contributes to its unique aesthetic… a successful representation of form meeting the human condition. Editor: Well said. All of that from a simple old chair! A little humble thing harboring vast complexities of interpretation, if we bother to really see it.