Located in Chattanooga, TN
In this compelling late-20th century composition, Robert Patrick transcends the boundary between painting and textile, forging a luminous hybrid of color, texture, and sculptural depth. Executed in 1991, this work showcases acrylic layered onto vinyl textile fiber, the result: a surface that appears to breathe and shift, responding to light and perspective.
What sets this piece apart is the dialogue between material and gesture. The vinyl fiber substrate introduces softness and dimensional relief; the acrylic pigment overlays, in hues that dance between subtle tonalities and bold contrasts, animate the underlying weave with fluid strokes. This interplay gives the impression that the surface is alive — that threads may pulse or shift under one’s gaze.
Viewed from different angles, patterns of light and shadow travel across ridges and valleys of fiber. Areas of tension and release appear: in some parts, the acrylic is taut and flat; in others, it recedes, opening micro-shadows that deepen the sense of spatial layering. The edges, slightly irregular, emphasize the work’s handcrafted integrity rather than mechanical perfection.
This is more than a decorative object; it is a distilled statement piece embodying the tension and poetry of late 20th-century material experiments. As a singular work from Patrick’s evolving practice, it commands attention as both art and artifact — one that enriches the collection it joins and invites sustained contemplation.
Signed by Robert Patrick painted acrylic over vinyl textile fiber art...
Category
1990s American Post-Modern Polystyrene Decorative Art