Embroidery

#TBT | Vintage Embroidery by Mariska Karasz That Looks Strikingly Modern

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

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?

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s

Mariska Karasz vintage embroidery from the 1940s