top of page
Four Generations
Development
For this work I was inspired by a blanket that my grandma and great-grandma crocheted together decades ago that has now been passed down to my mum. On the right are some pictures of parts of the blanket.
These are also some reference photos of specific granny squares that form part of the blanket that I ended up replicating in Four Generations.
For the making and installation of this piece I wanted to do something slightly different, and I also wanted it to look and feel as much like a crocheted blanket as possible. So, I decided to paint on canvas fabric in the absence of a canvas stretcher, and for the installation, instead of hanging this painting on the wall like normal I decided to install it hanging from the ceiling.
Federico Zandomeneghi’s work titled The Hook, although very different to my painting in both subject matter and painting style, reflects similar themes to those present in Four Generations - most notably crochet and family. It is clear that these two themes are at the forefront of both artworks.
Federico Zandomeneghi, The Hook, (1901). Oil on canvas, 65.4 x 54.5 cm
In a tutorial, it was also mentioned that this work was almost hypnotic and acted as a kind of optical illusion. This relates to the work of Bridget Riley, and also to the fact that crochet can be very meditative and transfixing.
Bridget Riley, High Sky (1991).
Bridget Riley, Gala, (1974).
bottom of page