Cabinet 1935 - 1942

Raymond E. Noble made this watercolor drawing of a cabinet sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Can you feel the artist's hand? I can almost see the soft strokes of the brush, the diluted paint seeping into the paper. I imagine Noble carefully laying down each line, trying to capture the light as it hits the surface of the wood. Was he a carpenter himself? Or just an admirer of fine craftsmanship? I wonder what kind of conversations he was having with other artists and designers at the time. There's something so satisfying about the crisp geometry of the cabinet. The vertical panels, the neat rows of drawers, it's almost like a minimalist grid painting. But then you notice the subtle variations in tone, the way the light catches the edges, and it becomes something much more than just a representation of furniture. Artists are always responding to each other, borrowing ideas, and pushing boundaries. It's all one big, messy conversation that's been going on for centuries.