Carver Armchair 1936

Anne Ger made this watercolour of a Carver Armchair sometime in the 20th century. What I love about watercolour is its fluidity, the way it can seep into the paper, creating these soft, dreamy shapes. Ger really leans into this quality here, and it feels like she’s allowing the chair to emerge organically from the paper rather than imposing a rigid form upon it. Look closely, and you can see how the washes of brown and tan create a sense of depth and shadow. The way she’s rendered the woven seat, for example, with its subtle shifts in tone, is particularly lovely, capturing the texture without getting bogged down in detail. There’s a lightness of touch here, a kind of gentle observation that invites us to contemplate the humble beauty of this everyday object. It reminds me a little of some of Agnes Martin's quieter, more contemplative pieces, where the focus is less on grand gestures and more on the quiet poetry of repetition and subtle variation. Ultimately, this watercolour invites us to slow down, to really look, and to find beauty in the unexpected.