Twelve Sketches of the Same Blue Chair

On the first evening of drawing class, the tutor placed a blue chair in the middle of the room. Nora expected an interesting collection of objects, perhaps flowers or old musical instruments. A chair seemed disappointing. She had paid for six weeks of lessons and wanted something worth drawing.

The tutor asked everyone to make twelve quick sketches from different positions. Nora's first drawing looked stiff, and the second had legs of unequal length. She began to wonder whether the chair was difficult enough after all. Moving closer, she noticed a dark shape underneath the seat that she had ignored.

By her seventh sketch, she was no longer drawing a general idea of a chair. She was looking at this particular chair, with its bent back and worn blue paint. The tutor did not correct every line. Instead, she asked Nora which drawing showed the clearest difference between looking and remembering.

At home, Nora arranged all twelve sketches across her table. She preferred the ninth, although the final one was neater. For her homework, she had to choose an ordinary object herself. After considering a decorative vase, she took a wooden spoon from the kitchen. This time, an unexciting object seemed like a useful place to begin.