Tapestry art is one of the oldest forms of woven textile craft, traditionally made on a vertical loom. It is characterized by a weaving fashion in which all warp threads are hidden throughout the work, in discrepancy to the case of weft weaves where both the warp and thread may be visible after the piece is completed. As an art form, the tapestry is nearly related to painting. It is an illustrated art and is frequently done on a large scale. In addition, some of the best tapestries were designed by artists who were famous painters, so there appears to be little point in denying the artistic aspects of the tapestry. Nonetheless, tapestry art was frequently overlooked as numerous viewed it as either simply clones of paintings or as nothing more than interior decoration. As a result, one of the most precious and tedious crafts was neglected by art chroniclers for too long.
HISTORY
Tapestries have been used for glories, with some reports of tapestry art going back as far as the Hellenistic period. However, its true artistic potential was not released until the early 14th century AD when the first surge of creative production occurred in Germany and Switzerland. Over time, the craft gradually spread to France and the Netherlands, and interestingly, the introductory tools for making tapestry have remained the same throughout the years. A major blow to the development of tapestry art passed during the French Revolution when numerous tapestries were burned to recover the gold threads that were frequently woven into them. In the 19th century, William Morris, now regarded as one of the leading pattern artists, revived the art of tapestry-making as Morris and Company produced great series for domestic and ecclesiastical uses, with figures, kind of based on cartoons which were made by Edward Burne-Jones. In the first half of the twentieth century, new tapestry art forms were developed by ultramodern French artists, substantially led by Jean Lurcat.
CONTEMPORARY MASTERS OF TAPESTRY ART
The aforementioned Jean Lurcat, a cartoonist at the Aubusson Tapestry Studio, led the revival of the medium by creating a tapestry series for a biennial held in Lausanne. With each Biennale since then, the popularity of tapestry works grew, as artists focused on discovering innovative creations from a wide variety of fibers. Such fashion eventually led us to today’s practitioners who, unlike their predecessors, are held in extremely high esteem by their contemporaries. He is known as the master of the textile arts and the master of fiber techniques as well as the foremost among weaving artists. With this in mind, we will now take a look at some of the most notable and interesting contemporary representatives of tapestry art.
- Gavin Turk’s Tapestries :
Gavin Turk is a British artist who is considered one of the most interesting of all young British artists. Turk’s work deals with matters of authenticity and identity, the issues he engages with modernist and avant-garde debate. Just by reading it, it quickly becomes clear that his tapestry is not your usual tapestry fodder.
- Peter Blake’s Tapestry Wall Art :
Peter Blake, also known as the Godfather of British Pop Art, is widely known for co-creating the sleeve designs for the Beatles’ iconic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Tapestry art may not have been his primary method of art-making, but the artist still displayed his mastery over this traditional technique – his tapestries are essentially identical to his other pieces as far as their conceptual underpinnings go. Huh. They are the result of his fascination with American commercials and pop culture.
- Grayson perry :
Grayson Perry is an Englishman recognized for his ceramic vase and tapestries with unique stylistic features. Perry’s pieces are often embellished with classical motifs and decorated in bright colors – yet, as far as his materials go, his works are often disturbing. Her most popular tapestry series of all time, titled The Vanity of Small Differences, has a lot to say about politics and the way it defines the way we dress and decorate our homes.
CONCLUSION
Despite an illustrious history, tapestry weaving is a simple technique that requires very little equipment or expense and can be done anywhere, and this lavishly illustrated book walks beginners through the entire process with detailed diagrams and With exciting work by contemporary weavers. It provides a step-by-step guide to setting up a small frame loom and getting started weaving; Basic and advanced techniques and how to create shapes and textures; advice on taking the work into the third dimension, whether bas relief or purely sculptural; information about the properties of different materials; design ideas for tapestry; and instructions to follow supplied designs. This guide will be useful for the absolute beginner, but will also find new ideas and techniques to captivate and inspire experienced knitters.
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