Shaker Rug 1935 - 1942

Alois E. Ulrich made this Shaker Rug with materials unknown, which gives a sense of artmaking as a tactile, hands-on process. The rug teases us with its textures, colors, and that ever-present surface. The paint isn't thick, more like a veil, allowing the paper to breathe beneath. Look closely, and you'll see a particular looping gesture repeated throughout. It’s almost as if Ulrich found a rhythm, a visual mantra, and then let it play out across the entire surface. Ulrich’s rug reminds me a little of Bill Traylor's work, that same directness, the feeling that the artist is in conversation with something deep and personal. It's not about perfection but about getting something down, making it visible. Art, after all, is an ongoing chat, a messy, beautiful exchange of ideas that stretches across time.