Quilt 1935 - 1942

Cleon Barton created this quilt design, of unknown date, using watercolor and graphite on paper. The composition immediately draws us into a play of structured patterns. The quilt's surface is divided into a grid of alternating brown, blue, and occasional green or white squares. The design achieves a remarkable visual effect through its rhythmic composition and subtle deviations. The red arrow shapes running horizontally across the composition create a focal point, disrupting the grid's regularity, which invites a semiotic interpretation of the arrangement of signs. The eye deciphers the visual codes and structural contrasts that Barton puts in place. Barton challenges established meanings and invites ongoing interpretation as the arrow shapes function not just aesthetically but also as part of a larger cultural and philosophical discourse.