Servet van linnendamast met aardbeien c. 1878 - 1945

This linen damask cloth with strawberries—servet van linnendamast met aardbeien—was made by Chris Lebeau. Imagine Lebeau at work, carefully plotting this design, thinking about repetition, pattern, and how the light will play across the surface. He probably spent a long time thinking about how the strawberries and leaves would come together to form a cohesive design. I’m really drawn to the central motifs, these sort of floral forms. The strawberries and leaves create a sense of depth. The overall effect is almost meditative. The artist is using a visual language that feels timeless. It’s about a kind of careful observation, and transforming the everyday into something beautiful. Painters are always in dialogue with each other, across time and space. Lebeau’s cloth feels like a quiet but powerful statement about the enduring human need to create and connect through art.