Name/Title
Abandoned Chair Occupied BrieflyEntry/Object ID
2025.01.0014Description
Oil and graphite on canvas by Tennessee Williams depicting an unshirted male figure seated in a white wicker chair. The sitter, shown with auburn hair and vivid green eyes, wears pink shorts and reclines in a relaxed posture, with one arm resting on the chair and the other holding a glass. To the right, a small round table with slender curved legs holds a bottle and a cluster of purple grapes, reinforcing the painting’s leisurely atmosphere. Behind the table, a faint image of a seated woman emerges, while on the left a ghostlike image of a young man blends into the sky and cloud-filled background.
The motif of the 'abandoned' or briefly occupied chair evokes themes of absence, transience, and emotional isolation that recur throughout Williams’s literary and visual work. The composition reflects his sustained interest in memory, loneliness, and the lingering presence of human relationships. Similar imagery appears in Scene Eight of 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' where the remnants of a gathering emphasize Blanche DuBois’s growing sense of abandonment, underscored by the observation that Mitch’s chair 'has been empty a long time.'Type of Painting
EaselArtwork Details
Medium
Oil, PencilSubject Place
City
Key WestState/Province
FloridaCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaCounty
MonroeCollection
Art CollectionMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Williams, TennesseeRole
ArtistDate made
January 1977Time Period
20th CenturyPlace
City
Key WestState/Province
FloridaCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaCounty
MonroeInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
Lower Right CornerTranscription
T.W.Language
EnglishMaterial/Technique
PencilLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
PaintingNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsDimensions
Height
24 inWidth
20 inDepth
1 inCondition
Reason for Exam
At AcquisitionOverall Condition
Very Good