Applique Coverlet (Detail) c. 1941

Adolph Opstad’s ‘Applique Coverlet’ feels like a fable told in fabric, stitched together with the same care one might use to mend a broken heart. I imagine him, lost in thought, piecing together this scene, a wolf reaching for grapes, a ladder leaning just so, a whole story unfolding under his fingertips. The colors are so earthy, with that faded plum of the grapes and the muted blues framing the edges – it’s like looking at a landscape through a dusty window. Look at the way he’s used those little stitches to define the edges, each one a tiny decision, a mark of time and attention. And that wolf, yearning for something just out of reach, isn't that a feeling we all know? It’s as if Opstad wasn't just making a coverlet but was also mapping out the landscapes of desire, the little dramas that play out in our own lives. It reminds me of other artists who use humble materials to tell grand stories, weaving together the personal and the universal.