Coverlet - Section of Right Side c. 1937

This coverlet section was woven by Cornelius Christoffels sometime between the late 19th and mid 20th century, but, boy, does it have a lot to say about abstraction! I can imagine Christoffels at the loom, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition, going back and forth, trying out the tension between the salmon and blue threads. I bet he wasn’t thinking so much about geometry as he was just feeling the texture grow under his hands. And what is it that makes weaving so different from painting, anyway? Weaving is additive, you can’t subtract the material once it is there. Maybe that’s the point. Once the decision is made, once the thread is woven, it can’t be unresolved. The gesture is completed. The surface is the gesture. Christoffels’ coverlet reminds us that the conversation around art is always happening and evolving, even when you’re just trying to keep someone warm.