Piece of Linen c. 1936

This "Piece of Linen" was made by Daniel Fletcher, who lived a long life between 1855 and 1995. The delicate tones and pattern of this painting remind me of Agnes Martin's grids. But, unlike Martin, Fletcher leaves the soft, woven texture exposed, like an unfinished thought. The linen is a muted yellow and white, overlaid with a subtle grid. I can imagine Fletcher carefully rendering each intersection, lost in the meditative repetition of the pattern. Did he choose linen for its inherent grid, or did the grid emerge from his engagement with the material? Was he maybe thinking about the nature of painting itself, and the way we lay down marks to construct meaning? Maybe Fletcher wanted to honour this everyday object, elevating it from the mundane to the sublime. It’s a humble painting, but it speaks to the quiet beauty found in simple things. It seems that it's artists like Fletcher who are in an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring one another's creativity.