Woven Coverlet c. 1937

Ralph Atkinson made this woven coverlet sometime in the 20th Century, and it’s all about taking simple elements and seeing how far they can go. With the simple process of weaving you get a complex pattern, all these squares bumping up against each other. It’s a good reminder that artmaking is a process. The material itself looks soft, ready to be wrapped up in, but then the geometric design gives it this angular rigidity. And those tassels! They bring so much energy, right? It’s like the whole thing is vibrating. Look at the way these red squares contrast with the navy, they give your eye a jolt. In the bottom corner, where the weaving is exposed, you see this whole other layer to the piece, the material’s guts. This reminds me of the work of Anni Albers, who took the humble medium of weaving and turned it into high art. With pieces like this, you start to think about art as something that can be both useful and beautiful, and never just one thing.