Icon Painting on a Post Modern Textile by Unknown Artist

41 3/4”W x 81”H x 2”D

This singular work of contemporary folk expressionism serves as a profound artifact of late 20th-century material culture, bridging the gap between the divine and the domestic. Centered on a winged, angelic figure rendered with a raw and haunting human gaze, the composition utilizes a somber palette of earth tones and tonal grays that stand in stark contrast to its unconventional substrate. The artist has repurposed a post-modern twin-size fitted sheet as a canvas, a choice that injects a layer of intimate history into the piece; while the recto presents a spiritual icon, the verso reveals a hidden life of vibrant, Memphis-style geometric patterns characteristic of 1980s design. This dialogue between sacred imagery and mass-produced textile is further unified by the original, artist-constructed frame built from rugged timber with visible dowel joinery and finished in a dark umber wash that bleeds into the painting’s borders. Although the piece remains in good shape, the surface exhibits a rich history of wear including crazing throughout, a developed patina, and areas of minor paint loss that further emphasize its lived-in, vernacular origin. The resulting object is a powerful example of outsider art, where the elasticized edges of a household linen are transformed into a site of contemplative devotion.

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Late 1980's - Early 1990's