Side Chair c. 1937

Curator: Today we’re looking at Ruth Bialostosky's “Side Chair,” dating from about 1937, a watercolor and drawing. Editor: My immediate feeling is one of simplicity, even serenity. The neutral background and soft coloring give this quite an intimate and unassuming presence. Curator: Bialostosky appears to be documenting this particular chair with an almost anthropological lens, you know? Her focus really seems to be on the methods of crafting functional objects rooted in everyday life. The hand-woven seat, the turned wood legs—details like those are important here. Editor: Exactly. But to me, the chair as subject signifies more than mere construction. Ladderback chairs like these have an almost Shaker-like purity, suggesting humility and usefulness that deeply resonates. These evoke the spirit of hearth and home. Curator: True. The chair’s not just for sitting; it represents a whole network of labor, from sourcing the materials to the woodworking. Thinking about the context, with Regionalism being such a popular movement at the time, Bialostosky’s watercolor can be seen to capture the essence of Americana—paying homage to folk traditions. Editor: Absolutely, it evokes a sense of nostalgia. Consider the light. Notice how she bathed this with golden light? In art history light is so much more than just an element: it illuminates meaning. This chair's history is also her own. She uses her family name Bialostosky within the title of the piece itself; I think there's deep symbolism here. Curator: Interesting point. What I see is how Bialostosky celebrates and captures an accessible craft that offered material agency to a vast number of people. The democratization of design, even through something as modest as a side chair. Editor: I suppose our perspectives only solidify the chair’s presence as an unassuming cultural anchor. It’s lovely to see its reflection captured in such loving detail. Curator: Absolutely, I will look at ladderback chairs very differently from now on.