Checker Table
1936
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.2 x 23 cm (11 1/2 x 9 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: none given
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5562
Art Historical Context
**Checker Table** by Nicholas Gorid, created in 1936, is a delicate rendering in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, measuring 29.2 x 23 cm. This intimate-scale work captures the charm of an everyday American object—a checker table—through precise lines and vibrant hues, showcasing Gorid's skill in blending media to evoke texture and depth. The graphite underdrawing provides a meticulous foundation, while watercolors and colored pencils add lifelike color and subtle shading, typical of detailed studies from the era. As part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Federal Art...
About the Artist
Nicholas Gorid
Nicholas Gorid (b. 1896) was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project initiative launched in the 1930s to document the nation's rich heritage of decorative arts and folk objects. Active primarily from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s, Gorid produced highly detailed renderings of an...