Petticoat c. 1937

Francis Law Durand painted this petticoat, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century, and it's an odd kind of portrait. The color palette is muted, mostly browns and creams, like something found in an attic. It’s the texture I find really interesting. The top part of the petticoat has this quilted look, these diamond shapes that give it depth, but the bottom is flat, almost like a stencil. Look at the way the brushstrokes follow the form, it gives the fabric a real sense of volume. But then there is that odd trim! It is very graphic, very flat. The top makes me think of someone like Morandi, with his quiet still lifes. It's like Durand is showing us two different ways of seeing, the real and the decorative, and how they can both exist on the same surface. It's not just a petticoat, it’s an idea, a question.