Patchwork Quilt 1935 - 1942

Edith Magnette made this watercolor of a patchwork quilt at an unknown date. The quilt is constructed out of rows of triangles with a kind of receding color scheme. I love how the repeated geometric shapes create an almost dizzying optical effect. The watery quality of the medium is very much on show here. You can see how the colours seep into each other in subtle ways, each triangle slightly different from the next. Look at the top right corner of the quilt, how the colours bleed out towards the edges, as if the fabric is still wet. The dark border frames the piece, giving it a sense of completion, but it’s that subtle blending that really brings it to life. It makes me think of Agnes Martin’s grids, or the early watercolours of Hilma af Klint, artworks that revel in the potential of their chosen medium. Ultimately, it’s this openness to ambiguity that makes Magnette’s quilt so captivating.