Textiles in Patchwork Quilt c. 1937

Charlotte Winter made this patchwork quilt using textiles sometime between 1855 and 1995. The muted colours give it a vintage feel, like a well-loved object passed down through generations. It feels so intimate. These aren’t bold gestures, but each fabric swatch has a unique texture and visual language. I love how the artist embraced the inherent qualities of the fabrics themselves. It’s like Winter is saying, "Here’s the beauty I found; it already existed, and I am just putting it together." Look at number 11; the dense and busy floral pattern has such a great energy and contrasts so well with the lighter and airier pattern to its right. It reminds me of the quilts my grandma made; each square tells a story, stitched together with love and care. Winter's work reminds me of the pattern paintings of artists like Joyce Kozloff or Robert Kushner, who celebrated decorative motifs and challenged traditional hierarchies in art. Art is one big conversation. There’s no right or wrong way to interpret this; let your imagination run wild.