right|thumb|200px|Textile arts in ancient Egypt

right|thumb|200px|This portrait illustrates the practical, decorative, and social aspects of the textile arts. [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales by Robert Peake the Elder, 1610.]]

thumb|200px|Persian Silk Brocade. Persian Textile (The Golden Yarns of Zari - Brocade). Silk Brocade with Golden Thread (Golabetoon). Pattern and Design: Paisley Left and Right (Bote Jeghe), With Main Repeating Motif (Persian Paisley).

thumb|200px|Textile, painted [[silk, 45 × 29 in. (114.3 × 74.93 cm), Qing Dynasty, China, mid-18th century, LACMA textile collection]]

thumb|200px|[[Chamba district|Chamba Rumāl with scenes of gopis

worshiping Krishna. Late 18th to early 19th century, Himachal Pradesh, India. Ceremonial/ritual furnishing, silk embroidery on cotton. LACMA textile collection]]

Textile art is art created from natural Fiber or synthetic fibers or from fabric or Textile. Textile art is synonymous with Fiber art. The art could be wall-hung, sculptural, installation, or have a functional Decorative arts purpose.

Techniques used in creating textile art can include:or many other techniques

Historical Context of Textiles

Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials used to make them have expanded enormously, while the functions of textiles have remained the same, there are many functions for textiles. Whether it be clothing or something decorative for the house/shelter. The history of textile arts is also the history of international trade. Tyrian purple dye was an important trade good in the ancient Mediterranean. The Silk Road brought Chinese silk to India, Africa, and Europe, and, conversely, Sogdian silk to China. Tastes for imported luxury fabrics led to sumptuary laws during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The Industrial Revolution was shaped largely by innovation in textiles technology: the cotton gin, the spinning jenny, and the power loom mechanized production and led to the Luddite rebellion.

Concepts

The word textile is from Latin texere which means "to weave", "to braid" or "to construct". The simplest textile art is felting, in which animal fibers are matted together using heat and moisture. Most textile arts begin with twisting or spinning and plying fibers to make yarn (called thread when it is very fine and rope when it is very heavy). The yarn is then knotted, looped, braided, or woven to make flexible fabric or cloth, and cloth can be used to make clothing and soft furnishings. All of these items – felt, yarn, fabric, and finished objects – are collectively referred to as textiles.

The textile arts also include those techniques which are used to embellish or decorate textiles – dyeing and printing to add color and pattern; embroidery and other types of needlework; tablet weaving; and lace-making. Construction methods such as sewing, knitting, crochet, and tailoring, as well as the tools employed (looms and sewing needles), techniques employed (quilting and pleating) and the objects made (carpets, kilims, hooked rugs, and coverlets) all fall under the category of textile arts.

Functions

From early times, textiles have been used to cover the human body and protect it from the elements; to send social cues to other people; to store, secure, and protect possessions; and to soften, insulate, and decorate living spaces and surfaces.

The persistence of ancient textile arts and functions, and their elaboration for decorative effect, can be seen in a Jacobean era portrait of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales by Robert Peake the Elder (<small>above</small>). The prince's capotain hat is made of felt using the most basic of textile techniques. His clothing is made of woven cloth, richly embroidered in silk, and his stockings are knitted. He stands on an oriental rug of wool which softens and warms the floor, and heavy curtains both decorate the room and block cold drafts from the window. Goldwork embroidery on the tablecloth and curtains proclaim the status of the home's owner, in the same way that the felted fur hat, sheer linen shirt trimmed with reticella lace, and opulent embroidery on the prince's clothes proclaim his social position.

Textiles as art

Traditionally the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the Romantic period of the nineteenth century, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science". This distinction between craft and fine art is applied to the textile arts as well, where the term fiber art or textile art is now used to describe textile-based decorative objects which are not intended for practical use.

History of plant use in textile arts

Natural fibers have been an important aspect of human society since 7000 B.C., and it is suspected that they were first used in ornamental cloths since 400 B.C. in India where cotton was first grown. Natural fibers have been used for the past 4000 to 5000 years to make cloth, and plant and animal fibers were the only way that clothing and fabrics could be created up until 1885 when the first synthetic fiber was made. The fibers from the flax are taken from the filaments in the stem of the plant, spun together to create long strands, and then woven into long pieces of linen that were used from anything from bandages to clothing and tapestries. Once textiles are found, the fibers are teased out using a light microscope and an SEM is used to look for characteristics in the textile that show what plant it is made of. The garments are "disposable" because they are made entirely of plant based products and are completely biodegradable. Within her project, Lee places a large emphasis on making the clothing look fashionable by using avant-garde style and natural dyes made from fruits because compostable clothing is not appealing to most shoppers. (born 1984)

  • Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994)
  • Pauline Burbidge (born 1950)
  • Nick Cave (born 1959)
  • Nancy Crow (born 1943)
  • Tracey Emin (born 1963)
  • Rodrigo Franzao (born 1982)
  • Sheila Hicks (born 1934)
  • Clare Hunter (born 1950)
  • Britta Marakatt-Labba (born 1951)
  • Mascha Mioni (born 1941)
  • Martha Mood (1908-1972)
  • María Teresa Muñoz Guillén
  • Martin Nannestad Jørgensen (born 1959)
  • Grayson Perry
  • Zoarinivo Razakatrimo (1956-2020)
  • Erin M. Riley (born 1985)
  • Faith Ringgold (1930-2024)
  • Carole Sabiston (born 1939)
  • Judith Scott (1943-2005)
  • Kiki Smith (born 1954)
  • Joana Vasconcelos (born 1971)
  • Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada (born 1944)
  • Brent Wadden (born 1979)
  • Pae White (born 1963)
  • Qualeasha Wood (born 1966)
  • Billie Zangewa (born 1973)

Textile arts exhibitions

  • Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories (2021–2022), at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
  • Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction (2024) explored the intersection of woven textiles and abstract art. The exhibit was organized by the National Gallery of Art, in collaboration with Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Canada.
  • Textile Art Redefined (2026), curated by Helen Adams at the Saatchi Gallery, explored contemporary textile art including quilting, weaving, embroidery, knitting and crochet.
  • Handwork: The Material Intelligence of Touch (2026), curated by Carrie Burckle, at Marks Art Gallery, College of the Desert.

<gallery widths=180>

File:Nasca. Mantle ("The Paracas Textile"), overall.jpg|Mantle ("The Paracas Textile"), 100–300 C.E., Brooklyn Museum

File:Anni Albers (1899–1994), Design for Wall Hanging, 1925.jpg|Anni Albers, Design for Wall Hanging, 1925

File:Casino Bokor.jpg|Casino Bokor, Tapestry by Martin Nannestad, 2014

File:Detail of Ian Berry's work.jpg|Detail of Ian Berry's work

</gallery>

See also

  • Craftivism
  • Dramatic arts
  • Handicraft
  • History of clothing and textiles
  • Plastic arts
  • Visual arts

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Antique textile design archive – Andre Heget
  • Contemporary Textile Artists – TextileArtist.org