Side Chair 1937

This is Louis Annino’s watercolor of a side chair. The muted tones and the controlled washes of color evoke a sense of quiet reverence, don’t you think? I wonder what it was like for Annino, sitting with this chair, trying to capture its essence on paper. Did he feel a connection to the craftsmanship, to the history of the object itself? I can imagine him carefully mapping out the details, each stroke a meditation on form and function. The way he rendered the wood grain, with such delicacy, speaks to a deep appreciation for the material. And that seat! The pattern is delightful, little bursts of color that add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise stoic subject. There’s something so intimate about this kind of attention. It reminds me that every object has a story to tell, and every artist has a unique way of interpreting that story. It's like Annino is in conversation with every chair maker before him. It makes you think about how art is just one big, ongoing dialogue, right?