Hooked Rug c. 1936

This Hooked Rug design was made by Lillian M. Mosseller; we don’t know exactly when, but what strikes me immediately is how she embraced a limited colour palette, building something intricate, by restricting her choices. The surface is a field of coral, scratched out by white motifs, and there are a series of patterns, each more or less symmetrical, that create an overwhelming experience of, well, too much information! What unifies the composition is the repetitive mark making. It’s as if the artist is saying, I’m going to embrace the handmade and create something both decorative and slightly disturbing. Look at the lower register of the design, there are heraldic eagles and trees. For me they are really evocative; they suggest a connection to family and place, but they are also slightly naive. It reminds me a little of early American folk art, like the work of Edward Hicks, who used limited tools and taught himself how to paint. This piece isn’t about perfection, but an authenticity of vision.