Woman's Shawl (pulkari) c. 20th century

This *Woman's Shawl*, or *pulkari*, is a textile artwork made by an anonymous artist. It is at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. With its all-over lozenge and circle patterns, I imagine someone meticulously stitching away, lost in the rhythm of thread and needle. The palette is so warm, oranges and yellows punctuated by burgundy. It makes me think of a sunset or a field of wildflowers. There's something really lovely about how the maker embraced the grid, but then allowed for slight imperfections – a slightly wonky diamond, a color shift that seems intuitive rather than planned. I like to think of this shawl in relation to abstract painting – Agnes Martin’s grids, for example – where repetition and variation create a visual hum. It’s a reminder that artistic expression exists in so many forms. Whoever made this was clearly thinking hard about color and shape, just like any painter I know.