10 - Oak Chair by Charles Rohlfs

This is one of the more well known pieces created by American Arts and Crafts furniture maker Charles Rohlfs. This chair, as with many creations from the Arts and Crafts movement, exhibits a largely intuitive reinterpretation of common primitive furnitures. While the Avanzatti brothers used their craft to contradict materiality - to mask an underlying complexity, Rohlfs work celebrates materiality. Each piece is an exhibition of the maker's craftsmanship. One clearly discerns the evolution of raw wood being rigorously cut, carved and refined into fine detail. The carved fluid details are enchanting partly because of one's understanding of the oak material.

The primitive form of the wooden chair is manipulated toward a delicate elegance. The back rest's function is primarily to lift up and exhibit the hand carved design work, rather than to lean one's back against it.

Image source: Wikipedia