Teresa Whitfield re-creates lace through drawing it, thread by thread. She is "collecting" lace objects (held in museum collections), most recently those owned by Victorian women authors. By drawing them she not only reconstructs the object (in much the dame way it was made), but this construction process also references the painstaking work of writing a book.
The drawing of
Charlotte Bronte's shawl measures 62 x 100 cm - it is life size, but has no evidence of the deterioration that has afflicted the actual shawl. Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) had tiny handwriting - rather like the thin threads used to make the shawl.
Teresa Whitfield is exhibiting 25 of her drawings at
Somerset Rural Life Museum (Glastonbury) until 14 December. The
exhibition includes the Bronte shawl.
The drawing of Charlotte Bronte's shawl measures 62 x 100 cm - it is life size, but has no evidence of the deterioration that has afflicted the actual shawl. Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) had tiny handwriting - rather like the thin threads used to make the shawl.
Margaret thank you so much for yet again showing me an artist I've never heard of and am just marvelling at! (my grammar is falling apart but it is late here!)
ReplyDeleteAnd another thank-you! I live quite near the Somerset Rural Life Museum but was unaware of this artist and her work. I shall go and see ...
ReplyDeleteThis work is entrancing. It reminds me, in a way, of Vija Celmins' drawings of the sea and the night sky. Amazing. Thanks.
ReplyDelete