White House Bed Cover c. 1936

Edmond W. Brown’s ‘White House Bed Cover’ is a drawing with the intention to create something much larger. The surface is so flat, like a memory of a textile. Brown is interested in something beyond pure representation; the texture is more about the idea of texture, how things might feel. I’m drawn to the way he renders the edges, as if the pattern continues beyond the frame, suggesting an infinite repetition. The color palette, with its muted reds and greens, gives the piece a nostalgic, almost dreamlike quality. Look at one of the birds at the bottom edge of the cover, and you can see the level of detailed mark-making. The negative space surrounding it feels as deliberate as the marks themselves. It reminds me a little of William Morris, but with a more homespun, idiosyncratic feel. It's a beautiful reminder that art doesn't always need to shout; sometimes, it whispers.