Blue and White Woolen Coverlet c. 1938

This is Frank Gutting’s Blue and White Woolen Coverlet, its exact date is unknown. The coverlet has been made with a simple, yet striking, two-tone palette. The beauty here is in the process and the repetition. I like the directness of the design, it's folk art, an intimate vision on a grand scale. Look at the row of buildings on the bottom edge, with those naive palm trees and repeated windows. These aren’t perfect, and that’s exactly the point, it feels like a vision of home. The texture of the weave, a rough sort of rhythm, really softens the contrast between the indigo and white. The birds, arranged in pairs, create a symmetrical composition. Gutting’s coverlet reminds me a little bit of the work of Ree Morton, in that it has a feeling of homemade and homespun tenderness. There’s a real sense of care here, a desire to build a world through the simple act of making, with all its glorious imperfections.