4
Baby in Red Chair, c. 1810–30, unknown artist
The very small child, who is loved and protected, knowing nothing of the hazards of life, may know unreflecting joy. The anonymous American painter who saw this baby in Pennsylvania has painted a child enclosed and vulnerable, but wholly confident in love. The half-smile, the folded hands, the head resting on the oversized pillow: together these show one of the marks of joy: its absolute belief in what is experienced.
