Red and Blue

Else Regensteiner, Red and Blue, 1969, wool and other fibers, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helga Regensteiner Sinaiko, 2006.29.2, ©, Helga Sinaiko
Else Regensteiner, Red and Blue, 1969, wool and other fibers, 57 × 35 78 × 1 in. (144.8 × 91.1 × 2.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helga Regensteiner Sinaiko, 2006.29.2, ©, Helga Sinaiko

Artwork Details

Title
Red and Blue
Date
1969
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
57 × 35 78 × 1 in. (144.8 × 91.1 × 2.5 cm)
Copyright
©, Helga Sinaiko
Credit Line
Gift of Helga Regensteiner Sinaiko
Mediums
Mediums Description
wool and other fibers
Classifications
Object Number
2006.29.2

Artwork Description

Perfect form, perfect proportion, perfect rhythm, perfect color surrounds us, if we will only pay attention.
--Else Regensteiner 

Red and Blue emphasizes the texture of fiber in sections of plain weaves (interlacing weft threads and vertical warp threads), exposed warps, and tufts of fringe. A closer look reveals how the artist used burgundy, ruby red, magenta, sapphire blue, and light blue threads to create squares of "red" and "blue." 

Else Regensteiner is a star among the constellation of modern textile designers. In 1940 she began an unpaid apprenticeship at the Institute of Design, a Chicago-based school known for its progressive workshops that centered on the German Bauhaus idea of combining design with art. By 1945, Regensteiner was teaching her own courses at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Like many Bauhaus-influenced women, Regensteiner became a weaver, and she went on to become an inventive artist, a commercially successful designer, and a compelling educator. 

Works by this artist (2 items)

Else Regensteiner, Ovals, 1967, wool and other fibers, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helga Regensteiner Sinaiko, 2006.29.1, ©, Helga Sinaiko
Ovals
Date1967
wool and other fibers
Not on view
Else Regensteiner, Red and Blue, 1969, wool and other fibers, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helga Regensteiner Sinaiko, 2006.29.2, ©, Helga Sinaiko
Red and Blue
Date1969
wool and other fibers
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2019.15 - SAAM-2019.15_1 - 137377
Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women
May 31, 2024January 5, 2025
The artists in Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women mastered and subverted the everyday materials of cotton, felt, and wool to create deeply personal artworks.

More Artworks from the Collection

Marguerite Zorach, Untitled (Embroidered Bedspread), ca. 1918, linen fiber: tabby weave with plied wool yarn and chain stitch embroidery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helen Miller Obstler, 1985.52
Untitled (Embroidered Bedspread)
Dateca. 1918
linen fiber: tabby weave with plied wool yarn and chain stitch embroidery
Not on view
Nancy Kozikowski, Reverse Target Blue, 1991, hand woven and hand dyed wool, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jessica and Frank Sands in honor of weavers throughout the ages, 2001.53
Reverse Target Blue
Date1991
hand woven and hand dyed wool
Not on view
Jane Busse, Rug, ca. 1975, woven linen and wool, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.136
Rug
Dateca. 1975
woven linen and wool
Not on view
Jack Lenor Larsen, Remoulade, 1956, linen, cotton, rayon, silk, wool, jute, nylon, and metallic threads, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1983.103, © 1956, Jack Lenor larsen, Inc.
Remoulade
Date1956
linen, cotton, rayon, silk, wool, jute, nylon, and metallic threads
Not on view