Handwoven Runner c. 20th century

This handwoven runner, made by an anonymous artist, is a study in contrasts. The off-white, almost fluffy vertical lines sit next to tightly packed darker stripes, and the whole thing seems to have emerged through repetitive motion, a rhythm of pushing and pulling, a conversation between hands and material. I imagine the weaver, thinking about warmth, about texture, about the feel of the fibers as they are drawn together. What was it like to create something so tactile? How does the wool feel? Is it rough or soft? Does it smell of lanolin? The woven surface invites touch and closeness; maybe that was the point. The dark lines are like gestural marks in a painting. In this work the language of weaving becomes like drawing, or even writing. I like the roughness of it, the way it’s not perfect. It reminds me of the way artists are always borrowing from each other, across time and place, inspiring each other to make things that feel both old and new. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a shared space of creativity and expression.