Embroidery Needlepoint c. 1937

This is an embroidery needlepoint, created by Eugene Croe. Imagine Eugene, maybe in the late 1900s, carefully threading a needle, choosing each color with a specific intention. The piece comes together bit by bit, like a pointillist painting made of thread. I can almost feel the texture of the tiny stitches. Look at the folk-art style, so meticulous and handmade, giving the figure a charming, naive quality. Maybe Eugene was thinking about the history of craft, or the way folk traditions are passed down through generations? What was going through their mind as they worked on each little 'pixel' of thread? It reminds me that all art is a form of conversation, a constant exchange of ideas across time. Each artist builds on what came before, responding to the work of others and transforming it through their own unique vision. Painting, like embroidery, is an embodied expression, full of uncertainty, and open to many interpretations.