Textile Print c. 1938

This textile print was painted by Ralph M. Lewis, but the date of its making is unknown. I imagine Lewis taking great pleasure in the repetition and precision of this design. You know, it takes guts to keep things so simple, so stripped back. The color palette is tight, a kind of warm brown and green. What I love about it is how the design plays with vertical and horizontal lines. It's a dance of balance, a sort of back-and-forth. And I think there’s also a real physical element here. I can imagine the brushstrokes, the feel of the paint on the surface, the rhythm of the hand as it creates these lines. Lewis lets the materials do their thing, exploring how the repetition of form and color creates a visual rhythm. Artists, whether they know it or not, are always in conversation with each other across time, inspiring new ways of seeing and being. It’s a process that embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, which allows for so many different interpretations.