Printed Cotton c. 1938

This printed cotton design was made by Albert Levone, sometime between 1855 and 1995. The watercolor marks are surprisingly casual, almost as if Levone was jotting down ideas rather than striving for a finished design. There’s a lovely tension between the flatness of the shapes and the depth of color, especially in the central panel with the reddish-orange flowers. They’re not quite floating, but they’re definitely not grounded either, due to the pale-blue wash behind. Take a look at the panel on the top right. See how the artist alternates between thick and thin lines, creating a sense of movement and rhythm? It reminds me of a musical score, a visual composition where each element plays a specific role. This piece reminds me a little of Raoul Dufy, whose designs for textiles and ceramics were so influential, playing with figure-ground relationships and colour to create lively, decorative patterns. It's all about the push and pull, the back and forth between intention and accident. That's what makes art so engaging, isn't it? The endless possibilities, the constant reinterpretation.