Coverlet (Section) c. 1937

This is Cornelius Christoffels' "Coverlet (Section)," probably made with watercolor, gouache, and graphite. You can see the grid structure of the coverlet, the back and forth, the up and down of the loom. He has used the materials to replicate the textile with great care and precision. The colours – reds and blues – vibrate. But the painting isn't just an illusion of weaving. It’s also about the materiality of paint on paper. There are areas where the colors bleed slightly, revealing the artist's hand and the nature of his chosen medium. Look closely and you can see how each small square is built up from tiny, individual marks. It's so painstaking, almost meditative. Agnes Martin comes to mind, with her grids and the handmade imperfections within them, where the line wavers ever so slightly. It feels very human, and that's what's so compelling.