A chair by any other name...

I went to a quaint little store in the mall the other day and bought a lovely chair. It was black, and a very simple design. I wanted the chair to feel inviting enough to sit in when it was on display in the show. From the moment I saw it, I knew it would be the perfect fit for my art piece.

I only defined the word "chair" in English, because I think the image of a chair alone is rather universal. Unless one is an infant, or someone who lives in a country where they only sit in the dirt, one will know what a chair is.

I placed the chair for frontal viewing, because once again, I wanted it to look inviting. I wanted it to seem as if the chair itself was saying, "Yes, that's right, place your bottom here. I am oh so comfortable, and your feet probably hurt from standing for so long." If the chair was placed to the side, no one would probably think to sit in it.

The photograph of the chair was in black-and-white, because it's just classier that way, in my opinion. I didn't want too many intricacies in the work. It was to be very simplified. Most people that come across my art will probably just frown and hurt their brains trying to comprehend it all. This way, I'm making it slightly easier on them.

Photograph, object, definition.

The art pretty much speaks for itself.

The reason I put the photograph on the wall was because it's a way of representing the chair, when a real chair is not present. Sort of like having a portrait of someone hanging on a wall. The portrait is that person, but obviously not that person.

I placed the definition of a chair on the wall, because what if one is to explain a chair to someone who has never seen a chair before? Everything needs some type of description. That's why dictionaries are so wonderful! Some people just need a logical, scientific approach to art, and this, I believe works for them.

Then again, I also didn't want it to be so easy to look at that the viewer would just take a two second glance and walk away. I wanted their eyes to wander around the setting. Yes, a chair is an everyday object, but does one ever sit and contemplate a chair, or anything for that matter? People should take the time to appreciate the little things in life. One can look at a painting all day long, but I believe a chair can be both visually pleasing, and something physically useful. What more could one ask for?