Chair c. 1936

This is Edgar L. Pearce’s ‘Chair’, made with watercolor and graphite, its exact date is unknown. Look at how Pearce approaches the rendering of the chair, each wooden slat is carefully built up through thin washes of color, he really lets that watercolor do its thing! The straw seat is amazing, and the smaller, diagrammatic drawing in the corner shows how seriously he’s taking this. The color is muted, but the different tones in the wood feel considered, like the artist is mapping the form of the chair through its different shades of brown. There's something so charming in the dedication Pearce gives to this object. He's not just depicting a chair, he’s creating a portrait of it. It reminds me a little of those Shaker drawings, where the act of depiction borders on worship. Like Fairfield Porter, Pearce reminds us that everyday objects, carefully observed, can become profound subjects for art. The chair is never just a chair, but a vessel for seeing.