Crocheted Lace c. 1936

Lena Nastasi made this drawing of crocheted lace with ink on paper. Look at the way the white lace pops against the black background; it’s like the negative space in a photograph turned into something solid. You can almost feel the texture of the lace, the way the ink pools and thickens, mimicking the density of the thread. I’m curious about the touch that made this; I think that it's about really looking, because it’s not about perfection but about the process of trying to capture the essence of the lace. This reminds me a bit of some of the drawings of textile patterns by Paul Klee. Like Klee, Nastasi seems to be interested in the way that patterns can create a sense of rhythm and movement on the page, and how something very, very handmade can also be interpreted in another medium, like ink, that gives it new life. There's something very touching in its simplicity.