Let’s #TBT with a textile artist whose illustrative approach to the medium is both influential and strikingly modern. Mariska Karasz was a Hungarian-American designer and textile artist who got her start designing clothing in the 1920s and 1930s. Her approach to fashion sounds like something I’d wear today; garments incorporated traditional Hungarian embroidery and appliques that were “similar to Henti Matisse’s cutouts” and utilized bold, abstracted shapes.
The mid-1940s forced Mariska to reinvent her career. She overcame a myriad of distressing event that included a divorce, studio fire, and World War II. Although she continued to work in textiles, she pivoted away from fashion and towards embroidered wall hangings, which I’ve featured here today. I’m a big fan of her portraits.
Embroiders: how can you incorporate Marika’s vintage embroidery style into your own work?
