Servet 'Vlinder' van linnendamast 1905

This linen damask cloth, titled 'Butterfly', was woven by Chris Lebeau. Imagine him at work, patiently weaving, hour after hour, and getting into a kind of trance with the motion. The butterfly motif is repeated, and that in itself must have been pretty meditative. I can’t help but feel that the artist, like many, has a special relationship with pattern, and a love of the natural world. I wonder if he was thinking about transformation? Or was he just in love with the idea of a butterfly? You can see the way the lines shift and the material changes with the fall of the light, adding to the design and making it feel alive. There’s a conversation happening here between the artist, the loom, the material, and of course, with us. The simple act of looking at art can open up a space for contemplation, just like the making of it.