Printed Quilted Patches 1935 - 1942

Francis Law Durand, sometime in the past, made this compilation of fabric swatches. I’m imagining Durand, surrounded by textiles, carefully painting each little patch, the brushstrokes mimicking the textures of woven cloth. It’s almost a taxonomy of touch. Look at how the red is both vibrant and muted, a lively ground for these miniature dramas. It reminds me a bit of patterns from William Morris, or maybe even Sonia Delaunay’s explorations of colour and form. Each patch is a world of its own, with tiny flowers, geometric shapes, and paisleys all jostling for attention. There’s a real joy in the making, like the artist is totally absorbed in the act of rendering. It’s interesting to think about artists, across time, learning from each other, riffing on each other’s ideas, and maybe Durand was looking at other artists and craftspeople, thinking about how patterns evoke memory and emotion.