Printed Cotton c. 1941

Ernest Capaldo's printed cotton design features climbing tendrils, leaves and blooms of white and blue. Imagine the artist’s hand moving across the surface, pressing the block onto the fabric, building up the design bit by bit. There's a real charm to the way the floral pattern repeats and intertwines. I wonder what Capaldo was thinking about when he made this? Maybe he was inspired by the gardens around him, or the way flowers reach for the sun? The brown background really makes the pale blossoms and blue trumpets pop. And those delicate tendrils, like they're dancing across the fabric. It reminds me of the way Matisse would use line to create a sense of movement and energy. It feels like there's an ongoing dialogue here, a conversation between artists across time. The act of making is an embrace of ambiguity, always open to new ideas and interpretations.