Coverlet (Section) c. 1937

This section of a coverlet was made by Cornelius Christoffels; I’m immediately drawn to the intense blues and reds and the way they play off each other, kinda humming. The texture looks almost pixelated, like an early computer image, only much warmer. The surface has this amazing tactile quality, you can almost feel the weave. Looking closely, you see how each tiny square and rectangle builds to make the larger pattern. It’s as if Christoffels wasn't just weaving but building. I love how the eye bounces between the minute details and the overall design, kind of a macro/micro thing. The colors, though bold, have a soft, slightly faded quality, like a memory. It puts me in mind of Anni Albers' work, the way she combined craft and fine art, embracing the grid and finding poetry in repetition. Ultimately, it reminds me that art isn’t always about grand gestures, but about paying attention to the small, repetitive acts that make up a life, or a coverlet.