Shaker Material 1935 - 1942

Editor: This drawing, called "Shaker Material," was made with watercolor and colored pencil sometime between 1935 and 1942. It’s an image of a woven textile, and the level of detail is just incredible. How would you interpret this work from a formalist perspective? Curator: Immediately, the all-over composition asserts itself. Note the subtle shift from the broader plane of woven fabric to the fringe, delineated not by a change in hue, but a shift in the mark-making. The drawing almost pulses with energy as our eyes are pulled across the grid and drawn toward those undulating fringes. Editor: It almost looks like it could be a close up on a microscopic level. Curator: Precisely! Scale is cleverly ambiguous. Without a clear point of reference, the drawing asks us to question our perception. The success of this work lies in its materiality and its texture which calls into question what the artist intends to signal. Does it pay homage to Shaker craft? Is it drawing parallels between artistic and textile production? Editor: So you see the lack of context as actually contributing to the strength of the piece. The viewer has to ask questions. Curator: Precisely! The reduction of visual cues elevates the formal elements of the composition. What, if anything, do the shades of brown suggest to you? Editor: It makes me think of something natural and handmade, I suppose. It certainly creates a rustic feel. Curator: Consider also the role of the blue threads defining the work's border. A framing device within a frame, almost! Editor: I didn’t notice that at first, but you're right! It's another layer to the structure. Thank you! I'll never look at a textile drawing the same way again. Curator: My pleasure. Considering the intrinsic formal qualities opens us up to richer appreciation of art.