Sheet with diagonal stripe pattern 1800 - 1900

Editor: We're looking at a piece titled "Sheet with diagonal stripe pattern" made sometime between 1800 and 1900 by an anonymous artist. It's a drawing, or maybe a print, and is currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m immediately struck by how simple yet mesmerizing it is – like something you could get completely lost in. What do you see in this work? Curator: Mesmerizing, yes! It makes me think about how seemingly simple forms – just stripes and dots – can hold such power. I wonder about the maker, someone carefully, repetitively applying these marks. Is it meditative? Mundane? Consider the historical context too – the explosion of textile design happening at this time, patterns travelling the world, influencing each other. Does the work remind you of anything in particular? Editor: I see how the regularity would almost be meditative, creating your own visual rhythm! The way you describe "textile design" really rings true and feels almost industrial, even if this wasn't made by a machine. Does this pre-figure digital screens and repetitive elements? Curator: I love that, thinking of screens! It's a reminder that humans have always been drawn to pattern, to organizing chaos. Perhaps this artist, whoever they were, tapped into that deep-seated human desire. I can also imagine that the irregularities also point to an organic making and "pre-industrial" method. Do you have any feeling about where it might come from or for whom? Editor: The limited color palette makes me think maybe a small workshop creating things affordably or with access to only so many natural dyes. Thinking now, it’s also not clear the image’s function. Is it decorative, a design proof, an art object? Curator: Exactly! Its purpose remains intriguingly open. This little, somewhat unassuming, piece is packed with potential narratives. The simplicity also lends itself to different contexts of reception over time... Editor: Absolutely! So, starting out it looked like just a set of marks and now its full of stories, textiles, even computer screens. Thanks for opening that up! Curator: It’s been fun, thinking together about where the humble design of the piece might come from!