Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979) "SQUARES" (detail)

Quilt Notes: ON THE SQUARE is illustrated in Barbara Brackman's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PIECED QUILT PATTERNS (#2026), where it is dated back in print to Hearth & Home (pub. 1885-1930s), also called NEW IRISH CHAIN (published 1910) in The American Woman. A very simple chain pattern, constructed of squares and rectangles only, as demonstrated in the illustrations above. But huge liberties taken here in rendering it absurdly complex, with a color combination (upper right) inspired by a painting called SQUARES (equally simplistic in name only) by the early modern French artist Sonia Delaunay (detail left). Delaunay's Cubism was called Orphism, characterized by high-contrast color combinations. No matter how seemingly obvious as a block, however, the tiling pattern here is surprisingly interesting in its unexpected meandering — see above left and below, looking like a Piet Mondrian painting, his BROADWAY BOOGIE WOOGIE, for instance, illustrated at Wikipedia (opens in a new window). For more reflections on quilt patterns and Delaunay's art (she was also a highly respected textile designer), see SUNSHINE AND STAINED GLASS and STAR LANE at this stie. In addition, a couple of stunning picture books of her work are included in the recommended books list. For more designs borrowing their color scheme from a famous artist, see DELFT MILL, imitating a palette by Johannes Vermeer, and OLD CROW, celebrating Alexander Calder. Compare also with AUNT MARY'S DOUBLE IRISH CHAIN.