Detail of Quilt c. 1937

Francis Law Durand painted this 'Detail of Quilt', but we don't know exactly when or with what. What jumps out at me is the systematic way the artist has laid out the compositions, like an inventory, or the plan for a quilt. The way the artist has attended to each diamond and square of fabric is very touching. I love the way that the individual pattern is framed by these solid shapes, like they are little worlds contained within each textile fragment. The colours are gorgeous, really vibrant. Look at the small green square, eleventh from the left, on the lower row, and the pink one next to it. They seem to hum with the energy of the painting. This piece makes me think of the pattern paintings of Robert Delauney, where the whole picture plane is filled with a field of colour. Both artists are invested in the capacity of colour and tone to express a feeling or atmosphere, more than simply representing an object or scene. Art is always about embracing ambiguity, rather than trying to fix meaning.