The exhibition Bernat Klein : A Life in Colour at the National Museum of Scotland (until 23rd April 2023) was filled with textiles evoking the Scottish landscape. Some shine with the verdant green soup of summer but most remind you of autumn when the air is crisp and the colours are muted. Soft greens give way to the russet fallen leaves, inky reflections in puddles and twilight mauve hills.
The photographs for the project were taken at Methven Woods, Perthshire on the 6th November 2022 – exactly 100 years after Klein was born – where autumnal colour palettes similar to some of those used by Klein’s wool dying schemes can be found. The patterns of nature also influenced the selection of materials for the cover of the book echoing the famous Klein mohair and ribbon fabrics. The pages in the book are swiss bound and backed by collaged pages of Superwife (a 1977 magazine).
Kleiner Herbst (Little Autumn) and Nets and Portholes (A set of sculptural gallery books inspired by the port of Kinlochbervie on the West coast of Scotland) will be on display at –
Pattern:Books – Artist Bookmakers Exhibition
26 Nov – 23 Dec
Wed-Fri 11-5, Sat & Sun 11-4.
UPRIGHT Gallery
3 Barclay Terrace, Edinburgh EH10 4HP.
“Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.”Alfred North Whitehead
(British Philosopher and Mathematician, 1861-1947)
People often have a visual preference for symmetry and repetition and are frequently attracted to geometric shapes and patterns. There is something incredibly mesmerising and comforting about seeing a shape or an image repeated in a mathematical order. Artists recognise this and frequently use pattern for both structural and decorative purposes. Roman and Egyptian tile work, the wallpapers by Morris & Co., and the paintings of Victor Vasarely and Brigit Riley are all examples of where pattern has been employed to great effect. Upright Gallery frequently exhibits artworks that have pattern at their core. Continuing this theme, artist bookmakers were invited to submit artworks for the annual artist book exhibition held every December. The brief was simple – celebrate pattern in artist book form. Over 80 handmade books will be on display from 35 artists.
