Printed Cotton c. 1941

This printed cotton was created by Ernest Capaldo sometime between 1855 and 1995. It presents a tableau of figures and flora rendered in a palette of blue hues. Consider the boats, symbols often associated with journeys, transitions, and the navigation of life’s currents. These motifs echo across time, reminiscent of ancient Egyptian funerary boats guiding souls to the afterlife, or Viking ships carrying warriors to Valhalla. The boat appears as a vessel of transformation, a vehicle carrying our hopes and fears across the waters of existence. Even the very color, the pervading blue, holds an emotional weight, conjuring feelings of calmness, melancholy, or even the infinite expanse of the sky and sea. Just like the "Blue Rider" group, a symbolist art group in Germany in the early 1900's, this artwork engages with color theory to evoke emotional states. The visual elements of this textile transcend mere decoration, tapping into the collective memory and subconscious associations.