A dying art popular in Paris in the 16th and 17th centuries is now on view for the city’s art lovers. A curious person who likes to explore different techniques, the avid traveller, who is actually a shoemaker by profession, landed in India and decided to exhibit works from an art that she learnt from her mother and grandmother. Her exhibition is titled ‘Through the Needles Eye: A Collection of Fine Gobelin’.
The basis of the artwork is the multi-hued thread. She uses maximum 6-ply threads depending on the colour density and the cloth canvas. The ongoing art exhibition-cum-sale at the Focus Art Gallery invites all to get familiar with the unique royal textile born in Europe. The Gobelin is a rich, textured type of hand-stitched tapestry that can be used to decorate a wall.
“Knitting to learn all the stitches from a very young age is a common thing and like normal education for the girls”, says Anita Fedver while expressing her passion towards Gobelin work. The Croatian lady had grown up with the style of artwork that originated from historic tapestry made in a royal factory in Paris supplying the court of the French monarchs. Techniques evolved in knitting and weaving patterns on the same cloth canvas using different techniques. For instance, Anita mixes the Petit Point (made with 2-ply thread) with the Gobelin, which is 3-ply thread.
A weft-facing weaving process using a fine needle is employed in keeping the warp of threads hidden from the complete work. Petit exerts a finer version of Gobelin work, giving it a more intricate form. When looked at from a distance, Gobelin art can hardly be distinguished from the oil painting format.
A total of 15 artworks are being exhibited at the gallery like Guardian Angel, Jeremiah, Christian Eve, Winter Night, Portrait of a young girl, Madonna with child, single Madonna. All of them have been depicted with a mix of the Gobelin and Petit Point using Europe’s branded colour threads. The more shades are used, the more colour will be reflected from the thread, according to the original feature of the textile. The exhibiton is being featured in the city’s Art Gallery in Egmore.
