Shaker Tablecloth c. 1936

George Constantine made this ‘Shaker Tablecloth’ sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. Imagine Constantine, carefully rendering each diamond, row by row, over and over. It’s like a meditation, a real commitment to the act of seeing and recreating. The color palette is muted, almost ghostly—various shades of white, cream, and grey. It's as if the cloth is fading right before our eyes! I bet he was interested in capturing the play of light and shadow on its surface. The subtle variations in tone create a sense of depth and texture. You can almost feel the weave of the fabric, its soft touch. And that reminds me of Agnes Martin who also used grids and subtle color in her paintings. But, here, the slight imperfections give it a handmade quality. There’s something deeply human about that. The repetition, the subtle shifts—it’s all part of the conversation between artists across time.