Commode Chair c. 1940

Ernest Towers Jr. drew this commode chair, we don’t know exactly when, but what a drawing. It’s not the most exciting subject matter, but the execution of the rendering has a certain charm. The color palette is very limited, different shades of brown, but what I find interesting is the lack of detail. I mean, you could describe it as detailed in the sense that it renders a chair with enough information that you can read the object, but actually it’s quite open in its description, with many of the wood grains suggested by a simple line. The textures have been reduced to the most basic indication. There’s an openness to the drawing. It’s not overly precise, and the slightly off-kilter lines give it a handmade quality that I find really appealing. It’s a drawing of a chair, but it's also a drawing about drawing. Maybe Wayne Thiebaud, or even Alex Katz, would appreciate this. Art is always having a conversation across time. We all have our own way of seeing and feeling the world.