Monica D. Murgia

Where art, creativity, and fashion meet

June 30th, 2012

John Little’s Textile Designs

Hearing from my readers is always exciting! This morning, I received a message about two John Little original textile designs for sale on eBay. Little was an abstract expressionist painter in Postwar New York, but during the depression he operated a textile and wall paper studio to earn an income. (For more on Little’s painting, click here to read my previous post)

Here you can see examples of Little’s textile designs, which he painted with gouache on paper. It was not uncommon for artists to design textiles in the Postwar economy. Salvador Dali designed textiles, and did exclusive designs for Elsa Schiaparelli, Adele Simpson, and Gilbert Adrian. The Onondaga Silk Company also commissioned an American Artist series in the late 1940s.

There is a stark contrast between Little’s paintings and textile designs. The textile designs are much more traditional and in line with mid-century fashion.

Little also collaborated with Greeff, an English textile company now owned by F. Schumacher & Co:

Greeff had pioneered the introduction of elaborate themed colletions, intended for the high-end interior decorator trade since the 1940s, featuring patters by designers such as Marion Dorn, John Little, Dan Rasmassen, and Dagmar Wilson. These continued to form a key element of the company’s repertoire, along with period ranges, such as American Legacy. (Jackson, Lesley. Twentieth Century Pattern Design. New York: Princeton Architetural Press, 2002, 117.)

Judging from the markings on the back, Little must have offered textile designs directly from his studio for purchase.

All images courtesy of consign2you

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Tags: abstract expressionism, abstract expressionist, Hans Hoffmann, jackson pollock, John Little, Lisa N. Peters, Spanierman Modern, textile design, textiles
Posted in art, artists i love, Designers I love, Fashion as art, textiles | 12 Comments »

June 7th, 2012

John Little

Fashion and art are undeniably intertwined . Collaborations between artists and designers always fascinate me. My previous posts on Sonia Delaunay, Salvador Dali, and color field paintings explore this. But what really captivates me is an individual who can participate in both spheres on their own. Abstract expressionist artist John Little did exactly this.

John Little Untitled #1, 1948. Image courtesy of thomasmccormick.com/

John Little (1907-1984) was a student of Hans Hofmann and painted with Jackson Pollock in post-war New York. Lisa N. Peters of Spanierman Modern describes his work quite succinctly:

His canvases are characterized by dynamic and explosive movements, conveying the searching, restlessness of his era, yet he also brought them a sense of resolution and balance. For Little, the picture plane was akin to a magnetic field, and he contained opposing forces, of buoyancy and gravity, of varying densities of form and color, of splintering and fusion, and of pressure and release through a process of animated involvement that is evident in his charged surfaces.

John Little Cascading Forms, 1954. Image courtesy of thomasmccormick.com

Looking through Little’s paintings, I felt the sense of floating through color. Some invoked a sense of restlessness, and others, like Cascading Forms, seemed soothing. The different emotional responses made me want to read more of what Peters had written on Little. She explained in the catalog that Little had designed textiles in the late 1920s. This caught my attention.

John Little, Diver, 1983. Image courtesy of janeeckertfineart.com

In 1928, the John Little Studios: Fabric & Wallpaper Design was opened in New York. This studio grew to a staff of 12, and remained open through the early 1950s. Textile design allowed Little to survive the Great Depression. He was able to operate the business and paint in his spare time.

John Little (1907-1984) "Ominous Night," 1951. Image courtesy of Spanierman Modern.

Dressing is such an emotional process. Designers want to help clients feel a certain way in clothing. During the time that Little operated the textile studio, many women made their own dresses. Thus, Little had to be aware of how women wanted to present themselves. His time designing textiles must have made him sensitive to the psychological component of fashion. This also appears in Little’s paintings.

Now if only I could find examples of his textile designs! The search begins . . .

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