Further Changes, 2009
Jacquard tapestry with metallic thread
36 x 80 in.
Robert Kushner’s work is characterized by an aesthetic that is at once lavish and delicate, and by a continually renewed interest in the use of textiles. Both of these artistic trademarks find a new incarnation in Kushner’s tapestries. In Dark River, depictions of flowers and plants often associated with Asian arts – quince, spider chrysanthemums, iris, fern, lilies, flowering cherry – are scattered loosely across a dark fluid background. In Change of Seasons and Further Changes, the artist’s characteristic gold embellishments are reproduced brilliantly using metallic thread. The translation to woven fibers complements the quiet majesty of Kushner’s lyrical patterns; their studied details radiate an effortless elegance.
