Boston Rocker c. 1938

Einar Heiberg's "Boston Rocker" is an old chair seen anew, translated into the language of paint. The earthy palette makes me think of my own early paintings, where everything was brown, black, and ochre. It's clear that Einar was deeply engaged with the object, trying to grasp its form and feeling. What kind of a person was he? What was his relationship with the object he was painting? I get the sense it wasn’t just a chair to him. I see the dark wood, the light catching on the curves, the decorative touches that speak of an earlier time. You know, it’s funny when you are painting a picture of something, it is really the space between painting and thing that starts to become interesting, not just the thing itself. The way he renders those floral carvings... it feels like he's not just copying but also interpreting, giving them his own spin. Like a jazz musician riffing on an old tune. This artwork is a reminder that everything we make is in conversation with what came before, each artist building on the ideas and techniques of those who inspired them. It’s a dialogue across time, a shared language of looking and making.