Quilt c. 1936

This "Quilt" by Therkel Anderson is an image of a quilt design that looks to have been made with pencils on paper. The planning of this quilt is so precise, with its feathery background, and those bold pink flowers. When you look closely you can see the hand of the artist, or maybe I should say the crafter in the mark making: the texture of the pencil on paper, the way the curves of the flowers are slightly uneven, all that detail is what makes the image so compelling. There's something about the physicality of the medium that gives it such an emotional resonance. And look at the way the feather pattern is used to surround the flowers, almost like a halo! You might think of it as a kind of folk art, but in a way, all art is folk art; we're all just trying to make something beautiful and meaningful out of the materials we have at hand, exchanging ideas across time. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what it means.