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A Tapestry of Miracles Ed Moses: Tapestries and Paintings |
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I will repeat the history of these works
for its flavor of happenstance. John Nava was commissioned to decorate the
new cathedral in downtown Los Angeles with drawings incised on its interior
walls, but it was thought advisable to improve the acoustics with tapestries
instead. Therefore, the Belgian technique of Jacquard weaving was
reintroduced with spectrometer color analysis and computer control. Nava
thought this would appeal to Ed Moses, who has now displayed tapestries
derived from his Magma paintings. The exquisiteness of the workmanship is
evident at a glance, owing partly to metallic threads interspersed,
reproducing the hard glints of these paintings, with an effect like brocade.
Passages are iridescent by the close interweaving of colors built up in the
layers of Moses’ paint. A new relation is revealed,
the large tapestries partly resemble Laddie John Dill’s aerial views,
here and there. A second series from the “rope”
paintings completes the exhibition, perhaps recalling Dali’s carpet
designs as well. It will be noted that a single weave
resembles a pixel, that the richness of technique is overwhelming, and that
these are tapestries to compare with any. “Well,” as one of the artisans
was heard to say at the vernissage, “art is a miracle.” |
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