Panel c. 1886

Here is a textile panel currently residing at the Art Institute of Chicago, designed by Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo. Observe the stylized, undulating forms that dominate the surface. These motifs, reminiscent of flames or perhaps even abstracted floral elements, immediately strike a chord deep within our collective visual memory. Consider how similar flame-like patterns appear in Gothic art, swirling upwards. They speak to a sense of spiritual fervor. Here, Mackmurdo reinterprets that fervor through a modern lens. The rhythmic repetition is also essential. The subconscious yearns for pattern, as it is a powerful organizing principle. Such repetitive patterns can invoke a mesmerizing state, a feeling of being drawn into a deeper, almost hypnotic state. As such, the panel is not simply a decorative object, but a potent carrier of cultural memory and emotional resonance.