View source for Textile arts

{{Short description|Form of arts and crafts using fibers}}
{{Distinguish|Fiber art}}
[[File:Henry Holiday textile arts in ancient Egypt.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Textile arts in ancient Egypt]]
[[File:Henry Prince of Wales 1610 Robert Peake.jpg|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.]]
[[File:Persian Silk Brocade - Paisley - Persian Paisley - Abdollah Salami - 1939.jpg|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).]]
[[File:Panel LACMA M.63.55.2.jpg|thumb|200px|Textile, painted [[silk]], 45 × 29{{frac|1|2}} in. (114.3 × 74.93 cm), [[Qing dynasty|Qing Dynasty]], China, mid-18th century, [[LACMA]] textile collection]]
[[File:Chamba Rumal .jpg|thumb|200px|[[Chamba district|Chamba]] ''[[Rumāl]]'' with scenes of ''[[gopi]]s''
worshiping [[Krishna]]. Late 18th to early 19th century, [[Himachal Pradesh]], India. Ceremonial/ritual furnishing, silk embroidery on cotton. [[LACMA]] textile collection]]
'''Textile arts''' are [[art]]s and [[craft]]s that use [[fiber crop|plant]], [[Animal fiber|animal]], or [[synthetic fiber]]s to construct practical or [[decorative]] [[Physical object|object]]s.

[[Textile]]s have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of [[civilization]].{{sfn|Gillow|Sentance|1999|pp=10–11}}{{sfn|Barber|2008|pp=42–70}} 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 [[China|Chinese]] silk to [[India]], [[Africa]], and [[Europe]], and, conversely, [[Sogdian art#Textile arts|Sogdian silk]] to China. Tastes for imported luxury [[fabric]]s led to [[sumptuary law]]s 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".{{sfn|Gillow|Sentance|1999|pp=10–11}} The simplest textile art is [[felt]]ing, in which animal fibers are matted together using heat and moisture.  Most textile arts begin with  twisting or [[Spinning (textiles)|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 [[macrame|knotted]], [[Loop (knot)|looped]], [[braid]]ed, or [[weaving|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''.{{sfn|Kadolph|2007}}

The textile arts also include those techniques which are used to embellish or decorate textiles – [[dyeing]] and [[textile printing|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 ([[loom]]s and [[sewing needle]]s), techniques employed ([[quilting]] and [[pleat]]ing) and the objects made ([[carpet]]s, [[kilim]]s, [[rug hooking|hooked rugs]], and [[woven coverlet|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 interaction|social cues]] to other people; to store, secure, and protect possessions; and to soften, insulate, and decorate living spaces and surfaces.{{sfn|Jenkins|2003|pp=1–6}}

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 [[stocking]]s are knitted. He stands on an [[oriental rug]] of [[wool]] which softens and warms the floor, and heavy [[curtain]]s both decorate the room and block cold drafts from the window. [[Goldwork (embroidery)|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.<ref>For general discussion of textile techniques in this era and their significance, see {{harvnb|Arnold|2018}} and {{harvnb|Arnold|2009}}, as well as {{harvnb|Hearn|2010}}, throughout.</ref>

==Textiles as art==
Traditionally the term ''[[art]]'' was used to refer to any skill or mastery, a concept which altered during the [[Romanticism|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".<ref>{{cite web |last=Gombrich |first=Ernst |url=http://www.gombrich.co.uk/showdoc.php?id=68 |title=Press statement on The Story of Art |website=The Gombrich Archive |date=2005 |access-date=January 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214125701/http://www.gombrich.co.uk/showdoc.php?id=68 |archive-date=February 14, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pantelić |first1=Ksenija |title=Fiber Art and Its Scope |url=https://www.widewalls.ch/fiber-art/ |access-date=October 23, 2019 |work=Widewalls |date=December 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lunin |first1=Lois F. |title=The Descriptive Challenges of Fiber Art |journal=Library Trends |date=Spring 1990 |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=697–8 |publisher=The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois|citeseerx=10.1.1.190.6501 }}</ref>

== History of plant use in textile arts ==
Natural fibers have been an important aspect of human society since 7000 B.C.,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=kozłowski|first1=R.M.|last2=Mackiewicz-Talarczyk|first2=M.|pages=1–8|doi=10.1533/9780857095503.1|title = Handbook of Natural Fibres|year = 2012|isbn = 9781845696979|s2cid=111000384 }}</ref> and it is suspected that they were first used in ornamental cloths since 400 B.C. in India where [[cotton]] was first grown.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The textile arts, a handbook of fabric structure and design processes:ancient and modern weaving, braiding, printing, and other textile techniques.|last=Birrell|first=Verla Leone|series=Harper's home economics series |date=1959|publisher=Harper & Brothers, Publishers|location=New York|hdl = 2027/mdp.39015006754272}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> Cotton and [[flax]] are two of the most common natural fibers that are used today, but historically natural fibers were made of most parts of the plant, including bark, stem, leaf, fruit, seed hairs, and sap.<ref name=":1" />

=== Flax ===
[[File:Mummy Cloth Fragment MET 43868.jpg|thumb|Linen (flax) cloth that was used in mummification.]]
Flax is believed to be the oldest fiber that was used to create textiles, as it was found in the tombs of mummies from as early as 6500 B.C.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Maier|first1=Ursula|last2=Schlichtherle|first2=Helmut|date=November 1, 2011|title=Flax cultivation and textile production in Neolithic wetland settlements on Lake Constance and in Upper Swabia (south-west Germany)|journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany|language=en|volume=20|issue=6|pages=567–578|doi=10.1007/s00334-011-0300-8|s2cid=129757770 |issn=0939-6314}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" /> Each fiber's length depends on the height of the leaf that it is serving, with 10 filaments in a bundle serving each leaf on the plant. Each filament is the same thickness, giving it a consistency that is ideal for spinning yarn.<ref name=":0" /> The yarn was best used on warping boards or warping reels to create large pieces of cloth that could be dyed and woven into different patterns to create elaborate tapestries and embroideries.<ref name=":1" />  One example of how linen was used is in the picture of a bandage that a mummy was wrapped in, dated between 305 and 30 B.C. Some of the bandages were painted with hieroglyphs if the person being buried was of importance to the community.

=== Cotton ===
[[File:Fustat Indian.jpg|thumb|Cotton tapestry that was woven into an intricate pattern in India]]
Cotton was first used in 5000 B.C. in India and the Middle East, and spread to Europe after they invaded India in 327 B.C. The manufacture and production of cotton spread rapidly in the 18th century, and it quickly became one of the most important textile fibers because of its comfort, durability, and absorbency.<ref name=":0" /> Cotton fibers are seed hairs formed in a capsule that grows after the plant flowers. The fibers complete their growth cycle and burst to release about 30 seeds that each have between 200 and 7000 seed hairs that are between 22 and 50 millimeters long. About 90% of the seed hairs are cellulose, with the other 10% being wax, pectate, protein, and other minerals.<ref name=":0" /> Once it is processed, cotton can be spun into yarn of various thicknesses to be woven or knitted into various different products such as velvet, chambray, corduroy, jersey, flannel, and velour that can be used in clothing tapestries, rugs, and drapes, as shown in the image of the cotton tapestry that was woven in India.<ref name=":1" />

== Plant fiber identification in ancient textiles ==
[[Light microscopy]], normal transmission electron microscopy, and most recently scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are used to study ancient textile remains to determine what natural fibers were used to create them.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Ryder|first1=M. L.|last2=Gabra-Sanders|first2=Thea|date=1985|title=The Application of Microscopy to Textile History|journal=Textile History|volume=16|issue=2|pages=123–140|doi=10.1179/004049685793701061}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":3" /> In flax, for example, scientists look for longitudinal striations that show the cells of the plant stem and cross striations and nodes that are specific to flax fibers. Cotton is identified by the twist that occurs in the seed hairs when the fibers are dried to be woven.<ref name=":3" /> This knowledge helps us to learn where and when the cultivation of plants that are used in textiles first occurred, confirming the previous knowledge that was gained from studying the era in which different textile arts aligned with from a perspective of design.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

== Future of plants in textile art ==

While plant use in textile art is still common today, there are new innovations being developed, such as [[Suzanne Lee]]'s art installation "[[BioCouture]]". Lee uses fermentation to create a plant-based paper sheet that can be cut and sewn just like cloth- ranging in thickness from thin plastic-like materials up to thick leather-like sheets.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Hemmings |first=Jessica |author-link=Jessica Hemmings |date=2008 |title=Grown Fashion: Animal, Vegetable or Plastic? |journal=Textile |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=262–273 |doi=10.2752/175183508X377627 |s2cid=110081228}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":4" /> In addition, there is a possibility to create designs with the plants by tearing or cutting the growing sheet and allowing it to heal to create a pattern made of scars on the textile.<ref name=":4" /> The possibilities to use this textile in art installations is incredible because artists would have the ability to create a living art piece, such as Lee does with her clothing.

==Textile arts by region==
* For articles on textile arts by region, see {{look from|Textile arts of}}.

== List of contemporary textile artists ==
* [[Magdalena Abakanowicz]]
* [[Olga de Amaral]]
* [[Caroline Achaintre]]
* [[Alicja Kozłowska|Alicja (Alice) Kozłowska]]
* [[Anni Albers]]
* [[Denimu|Ian Berry]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-44198953|title=Artist creates works in denim|date=May 23, 2018|work=BBC News|access-date=July 9, 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>
* [[Alighiero Boetti]]
* [[Nick Cave (performance artist)|Nick Cave]]
* [[Tracey Emin]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/stitches-in-time-quilt-making-as-contemporary-art-1921331.html|title=Stitches in time: Quilt-making as contemporary art|work=The Independent|access-date=July 9, 2018|language=en-GB|first=Charlotte|last=Cripps|date=March 15, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Rodrigo Franzao]]
* [[Sheila Hicks]]
* [[Britta Marakatt-Labba]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.documenta14.de/en/artists/13551/sami-artist-group-keviselie-hans-ragnar-mathisen-britta-marakatt-labba-synnove-persen-|title=Sámi Artist Group (Keviselie/Hans Ragnar Mathisen, Britta Marakatt-Labba, Synnøve Persen)|access-date=October 25, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Mascha Mioni]]
* [[Martha Mood]]
* [[María Teresa Muñoz Guillén]]
* [[Martin Nannestad Jørgensen]]
* [[Grayson Perry]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3562779/Grayson-Perry-spinning-a-yarn.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3562779/Grayson-Perry-spinning-a-yarn.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Grayson Perry: spinning a yarn|last=Freyberg|first=Annabel|date=November 1, 2008|access-date=July 9, 2018|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235|work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Madame Zo|Zoarinivo Razakatrimo]]
* [[Erin M. Riley]]
* [[Faith Ringgold]]
* [[Carole Sabiston]]
* [[Judith Scott (artist)|Judith Scott]]
* [[Kiki Smith]]
* [[Joana Vasconcelos]]
* [[Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada]]
* [[Brent Wadden]]
* [[Pae White]]
* [[Qualeasha Wood]]
* [[Billie Zangewa]]

<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-10-textile-artists-who-are-pushing-the-medium-forward|title=10 Textile Artists Who Are Pushing the Medium Forward|last=Gottesman|first=Sarah|date=October 31, 2016|work=Artsy|access-date=July 9, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.widewalls.ch/famous-fiber-artists/|title=Famous Fiber Artists to Follow|work=Widewalls|access-date=July 9, 2018|first=Amy|last=Lin|date=December 25, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.textileartist.org/urban-fiber-how-cities-drive-textile-art/|title=Spotlight on 5 contemporary textile artists|last=Pitcher|first=Joe|date=December 9, 2013|work=TextileArtist.org|access-date=July 9, 2018|language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180710010439/https://www.textileartist.org/urban-fiber-how-cities-drive-textile-art/ |archive-date= 2018-07-10 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/new-yarns|title=New yarns |website=Tate|language=en|access-date=July 9, 2018|first=Kirsty|last=Bell|date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709215755/https://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/new-yarns|archive-date=July 9, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths=180>
File:Nasca. Mantle ("The Paracas Textile"), overall.jpg|Mantle ("The [[Paracas Textile]]"), 100–300 C.E.,  [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Casino Bokor.jpg|Casino Bokor, Tapestry by [[Martin Nannestad]], 2014
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Clothing}}
* [[Craftivism]]
* [[Dramatic arts]]
* [[Handicraft]]
* [[History of clothing and textiles]]
* [[Plastic arts]]
* [[Visual arts]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book |author-link=Janet Arnold |last=Arnold |first=Janet |title=Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd |publisher=W S Maney and Son Ltd |location=Leeds |date=2018 |isbn=978-0-901286-20-8 }}
* {{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Janet |title=Patterns of Fashion: the cut and construction of clothes for men and women 2000 |publisher=Macmillan |date=2009 |edition=Revised edition 2006 |isbn=978-0-89676-083-7 }}
* {{cite book |last=Barber |first=Elizabeth Wayland |title=Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years |url=https://archive.org/details/womensworkfirst200barb |url-access=registration |publisher=W. W. Norton |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-393-03506-3 }}
* {{cite book |last=Barber |first=Elizabeth Wayland |title=Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=1992 |isbn=978-0691002248}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gillow |first1=John |first2=Bryan |last2=Sentance |title=World Textiles |location=New York |publisher=Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown |date=1999 |isbn=0-8212-2621-5 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Hearn |editor-first=Karen |title=Dynasties: Painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 2000–2007 |location=New York |publisher=Rizzoli |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-8478-1940-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/dynastiespaintin00kare }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Jenkins |editor-first=David |title=The Cambridge History of Western Textiles |location=Cambridge, UK |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2003 |isbn=0-521-34107-8 }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Kadolph |editor-first=Sara J. |title=Textiles |edition=10th |publisher=Pearson/Prentice-Hall |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-13-118769-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/textiles0010kado }}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |first=Sarah |last=Lowengard |url=http://www.gutenberg-e.org/lowengard |title=The Creation of Color in Eighteenth-century Europe |publisher=Columbia University Press |date=2006}}
* {{cite book |author1=Watt, James C.Y. |author2=Wardwell, Anne E. |title= ''When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles'' |location=New York |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |year=1997 |isbn=978-0870998256 |url=http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/62400/rec/5}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Textile arts}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.antiquetextiledesigns.com/ Antique textile design archive] – Andre Heget
* [http://www.textileartist.org/ Contemporary Textile Artists] – TextileArtist.org

{{Textile arts}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Visual arts genres]]