Striped Stair Carpet 1935 - 1942

Arthur G. Merkley made this Striped Stair Carpet out of watercolor and graphite. Look at the weave of the carpet; the marks build up slowly, repeating and changing just slightly each time. That’s artmaking as a process, right there. I love the feel of this carpet. The colors are muted, almost faded, which makes it feel like a memory, like something you’d find in your grandma’s attic. The texture is implied, but I can almost feel the loops of the wool under my fingers. It's like Merkley is reminding us that making art is a physical thing, but that doesn’t mean it can’t conjure emotion too. See how the stripes of pink, red, and brown repeat but are all slightly different? Each one is its own little world, and that feels like a metaphor for how we all experience the world. This reminds me of the work of Anni Albers; both artists are fascinated by the patterns and rhythms of weaving, and how those patterns can create something beautiful and meaningful.