Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky was one of the 20th century’s greatest pioneers, spearheading a bold new language of abstraction that would alter the course of art history. He was particularly fascinated by the sonorous possibilities of colour, and how symphonic arrangements of light and dark could convey rich and complex emotions. No colour was out…
Category Archives: TEXTILES
In this latest edition on fabric in ukiyo-e art, we will look into the fascinating art of the 18th and 19th century Katsukawa School, and the vital role Japanese costume and silk played in its development. Founded by the great Miyagawa Shunsui, the incredible art of the Katsukawa School spanned paintings and prints with a…
Pierre Bonnard’s intimiste paintings invite us into his own private world, a magical place where colour and light roam free. Though he is perhaps best celebrated for his scorching colour palette that heightened reality into a kaleidoscopic dream, he also brought in bright, cool shades like that of MIST Linen, letting them breeze through his…
Pattern, in all its multicoloured, decorative glory, is at the heart of David Hockney’s art. It was there in his art as a young, keen student in 1950s London, and it’s still alive and well in the art he makes today (only Hockney could reimagine the Yorkshire landscape as a series of eye-wateringly bright patchworks)….
In Marc Chagall’s swirling world of imaginative wonder, the rich, bluish purple hue of MAJESTY Linen appeared often, staining his canvases with a weighty, dramatic intensity. Throughout his career as a leading modernist, colour was a key component in Chagall’s art, not observed from nature but sprung forth from deep within his mind, expressing the…
Henri Matisse was an avid, obsessive collector, amassing a huge archive of incredible objects throughout his lifetime that clattered noisily against one another in his home studio. The most cherished of these possessions were Matisse’s impressively vast collection of textiles which he gathered from all over the world, including French tapestries, Persian rugs and African…
The Utagawa School was one the most successful periods in the history of Japanese ukiyo-e art, lasting from the late 18th to the late 19th century. Under the leadership of master printmaker Utagawa Toyoharu, the school revolutionised Japanese woodblock printing, discovering new techniques that allowed them to work quickly and efficiently, creating a huge array…
Mark Rothko knew how mesmerising night-time shades of blue could be, soaking them deep into the weave of his canvases until they formed intoxicating pools of darkness. The near-black shade of NIGHT BLUE Linen was one of his favourites, because it could invoke the raging drama and intensity of night, particularly when blurred at the…
For Mexican artist Frida Kahlo fabric was an incredibly powerful form of self-expression, one that made her an inimitable icon of the 20th century. She adored the indigenous fabrics of Mexico, with their lively, exuberant prints and intricate areas of ruffling and embroidery, drenching her body in layers and layers of traditional textiles. More than…
American painter Richard Diebenkorn is one of the 20th century’s most celebrated painters, capturing the hazy light of his native California with cool, crystalline colours like that of MICRO CHIP Linen. His world-renowned ‘Ocean Park’ series was made during the 1970s as inspired by the oceanic landscape of Santa Monica, where he had made his…
American painter Cy Twombly’s brilliantly expressive artworks often feature searing hot pinks like RED BUD Linen. This ardent colour blazes like an angry fire in the belly of his art, igniting life into them like hot breath to a flame. Twombly was a leading member of late Abstract Expressionism, emerging out of 1950s New York…
Throughout the history of Japanese ukiyo-e, fabric has been a defining feature, allowing artists to convey movement, energy and character. In this episode of our series on ukiyo-e art we will take a closer look at fabric in the second key phase of the movement, known as the Torii School. Following on the incredible advancements…
Bold, brilliant fabric was a lifeline for French Intimiste painter Edouard Vuillard, defining the aesthetic and conceptual meaning of his art. Vuillard’s mother and sister were both dress and corset makers and he grew up surrounded by a cacophony of printed textiles, all scattered haphazardly across their 19th century Parisian apartment. This environment shaped the…
Robert Delaunay’s art is filled with silvery shades of grey-blue like DOLPHIN GRAY Linen, which he adopted to convey the sparkling atmosphere of the modern city. One of the greatest pioneers of the early 20th century, Delaunay stirred up a storm with his dazzling Cubist and Orphist abstractions. Backgrounds in his paintings are subtle arenas…
Japanese ukiyo-e art has a long and incredibly varied history, and a closely knit relationship with fabric. In this instalment of our series on ukiyo-e art, let’s start at the very beginning with the movement’s founder, and delve into the ways fabric informed his practice as a painter and printmaker. Ukiyo-e is often traced back…
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