Anni Albers

Many of Anni Albers’s woven works – especially those created for sacred spaces – recall the appearance of words, sentences and passages of text in their compositions. Titles such as Open Letter, Epitaph and Ancient Writing make this connection to script explicit. The relationship between image and written form, between sign and shape, enters into fascinating dialogue in the works of Anni Albers.

Interestingly, the origins of the words “text” and “textile” are closely related. Both trace their roots to the Greek word “techne”, meaning “art” or “craft”, which in turn gave rise to the Latin texere, meaning “to weave”. Both “text” and “textile” are derived from this verb.

In this drawing, Albers works with felt-tip pen. From a distance, the work gives the impression of being a letter: individual shapes resemble letters, and their sequence reads like lines of text. On closer inspection, however, abstract forms appear in place of letters. The shapes recall floating weft threads, like those Albers incorporates into her woven works. By varying the colour, she adds tension to the composition and emphasises its pictorial quality – in contrast to the initial impression of writing. Anni Albers plays with our perception. At the same time, one senses the joy she takes in spontaneous, free creation, something only possible to a limited extent in weaving.