Center medallion

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    Photo: Stephen Pitkin/Pitkin Studio
c. 1940
Corduroy
83 x 76 inches
Collection of
Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Description

America lrby took old pinwale corduroy work clothes and created—constructed—an elegant variation on the center-medallion form of “Housetop” quilt that could almost be an architectural blueprint for a classical temple. The central element is surrounded by white and off-white strips punctuated at the four corners by bands of green, which accentuate the strong sense of organization. A peripheral pattern of polyrhythmic bands of gray, sand, blue, and red serves as an intricate counterpoint to the classic balance of the central design, yielding a tension between the harmony of purely symmetrical structure and the energy of improvisation.