Textiles c. 1937

These textile designs were rendered by Martha Reed, we don't have the date but probably in the 20th century, and appear to be made with ink on paper. I love how Reed breaks down the elements of pattern. The texture here is all visual, created by lines and dots. Look at the way she varies the density of marks, the thickness of the lines, the direction of the strokes. Each of these marks creates a different feeling. Do you feel the way each block kind of hums? I'm drawn to the fourth textile on the top row with its gentle wave pattern that almost gives the illusion of depth and movement, not unlike the paintings of Bridget Riley. There's something deeply satisfying about this work, it’s like Reed is showing us the underlying structure of how we perceive surfaces and textures. This work reminds me that art is always about seeing, thinking, and feeling in new ways, and that the conversation between artists never really ends.