Chair 1935 - 1942

Editor: We're looking at a watercolor drawing by Bernard Gussow, simply titled "Chair," created sometime between 1935 and 1942. The style feels so precise and academic, yet somehow the object feels so…present. What do you see in this piece, in terms of symbolism? Curator: I see echoes of power, and fragility, intertwined. Look at the legs of the chair—they end in ball-and-claw feet, a motif rooted in Chinese depictions of a dragon’s grasp on a pearl, symbolizing control. Yet, this potent image is rendered delicately in watercolor, its strength softened. The seat itself, with its reddish hue, almost suggests a throne, albeit an intimate one. Do you notice the carving along the back? Editor: Yes, the swirling patterns remind me of hearts, or maybe even stylized leaves? Curator: Exactly. These motifs speak to a natural, perhaps even romantic, sensibility. They domesticate the otherwise formal structure, suggesting an object intended for comfort and contemplation rather than strictly governance. It becomes a personalized power symbol. What emotional connection do you have with chairs, perhaps as stand-ins for their owners? Editor: That's an interesting question. For me, this chair feels oddly…nostalgic. Like it belongs to a memory of someone, waiting for their return. Curator: A perfect point! Perhaps it is meant to elicit this emotion; Gussow prompts us to consider our emotional, even nostalgic connections, not just to objects but the power dynamics imbued in them. It suggests a quiet tension between public persona and private life. Editor: I never thought about a chair having that much symbolism and meaning. Curator: Well, hopefully you will from now on. The chair, seemingly mundane, becomes a complex lens through which to view history and ourselves.