Poncho c. 20th century

This poncho was woven by an anonymous artist. Imagine the weaver, how they would have felt creating the design, shifting the loom and patiently interweaving the colored yarns. It's like watching a painting emerge, but with thread instead of pigment. The poncho's rhythm of stripes in ochre, navy and burgundy, interspersed with geometric patterns in the weft makes me think about the history of textile design and how it relates to abstraction. The artist’s intention may have been different than that of a painter, but I see an emotional connection between the weaver and the final product. I imagine that the artist worked intuitively, letting the colours and patterns emerge naturally. I love how the horizontal threads create lines, like brushstrokes that traverse the whole surface. The hand of the weaver is present, as if the poncho itself is an expression of the artist's embodied experience. It's not just a poncho; it's a conversation, a shared idea across time, inspiring creativity.