Wall Paper c. 1937

Nicholas Acampora made this wallpaper design with some kind of paint, maybe gouache, on paper. Look at how he’s laid down these flat, patterned areas of color. It's less about trying to trick you into thinking there’s a real bouquet on your wall, and more about the process of making a design, the pleasure of seeing forms repeat. I am drawn to the ribbon-like forms that weave among the pale lilacs and greens. They feel unresolved, a little clumsy even, like something scrawled and built up, not quite a ribbon, but the idea of a ribbon. And this is a crucial part of how it communicates with us. It's about the tension between something representational and something abstract, something handmade. This feels different from, say, William Morris’s designs which are so complete and all-consuming. Acampora gives us space for doubt, for questioning. Like a conversation, it leaves room for us to respond, to disagree.