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Object Timeline
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1977 |
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1985 |
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2013 |
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2015 |
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2024 |
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Textile, Forest
This is a Textile. It is dated 1977 and we acquired it in 1985. Its medium is dacron polyester and its technique is screen printed on plain weave. It is a part of the Textiles department.
Henry and Eleanor Kluck, the design duo known as Elenhank, drew inspiration for Forest from the northern Indiana landscape surrounding their home. When the fabric panels were hung as curtains or wall coverings, the pattern would repeat across large expanses to envelope a space as if it was a woodland glade. This is a continuation of their mural print concept of creating large scale continuous patterns. These mural prints depicted nature both abstractly, as in Rhythm (1972) or Solar (1974), and naturalistically, as in Forest and others from the late 1970s.
Sketched in ink and gouache on translucent paper, this design was drawn in one-quarter scale and enlarged photographically. For this colorway, the background and flowers were hand screen printed in walnut brown and black. The line drawing of trees, leaves, and grass in the foreground is the white color of the fabric.
This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled A Forest for the Home.
This object was
donated by
Eleanor Kluck.
It is credited Gift of Henry C. and Eleanor Kluck.
- Sidewall (possibly France)
- machine-printed on paper.
- Gift of Charles Grimmer & Son.
- 1930-14-1-e
![Brochure for wallcovering showing mural panels with images of trees. The open brochure is printed in shades of greay and black on white paper and has three sections - left, middle, right - roughly divided into 5 vertical columns of images or text. Left and right sections have one column, middle has 3 columns. The left and right sections have vertical creases suggesting they were 'flaps' folded inwards. The left flap shows an image of the trunks of 3 stylized trees with fallen leaves on the ground below them. The trees almost look as if they were collaged together, the bottoms cut straight across and the sides have distinct edges (not blended with the background.). In front, a tree with a fat trunk and a branch protuding towards the viewer. It's oddly 'fatter' at the top than at the bottom. Behind the front trunk is a bush with delicate crescent shaped leaves, its daintiness contrasting with the hefty stockiness of the trunk. A second trunk towards the right has thin branches and some vine like leaves. The third tree in the back, is the lightest area in the scene and appars to reflect light from some indeterminate source. Very small ovoid leaves trail up its branches in pairs (almost like tread marks.) They are black and stand out dramatically against the pale trunk. The background in this scene is black. The panel is printed as a 'negative image' (areas in shadow would appear to be in the light, which makes it harder to distinguish what's in front, what's in back, what's in light or shadow.) Text below the image reads: 'Negative Image' 'The panels may be ordered in negative image as shown above, mirror images also available in positive or negative form.' The middle section, column 1 (titled Panel A) shows the 'positive' version of the three trees from the left flap. Here the details are more readily understood. Many more leaves are visible on the trees. The positive appears like springtime compared to the 'wintery' feeling of the same image in negative form. The second column (titled Panel B) shows a large dark tree trun in the foreground with delicate branches sprouting large leaves depicted in outline. Behind it a very thin, stripling tree with multi-petaled flowers on its branches. Some other blossoms around this tree resemble cottonballs. In the rear a tree with many upturned branches. Leaves are scattered on the ground. Overall, this has a light airy feeling. Apart from the front tree and some of the leaves on the ground which are dark grey, the other details in shades of light grey. Column 3 (Panel C) appears to be a continuation of the scene from Column 2. Certain elements like the leaves on the ground, and the flowers from the stripling are completed in this panel. This appears to be the most abstract and most striking of the panels. In the foreground a tree with patches on its bark (like a camoflage pattern) in shades of middle greys. Slightly behind, is a tree trunk split into two limbs with blossoms and leaves. It is stark white (the color of the paper) and distinguishable only because it is in front of a very big, dark, almost black, tree trunk. The black tree, although it is in the rear, dominates the scene as its branches reach out to the sides of the panel. Below Panels A,B,C the text tells us each panel is '32 wide, 'overall dimensions 96' exclusive of separations.' 'Order this mural through your decorator or direct from the artist by writing Design Group in Brewster NY or call New York [Templeton phone number] for an appointment for a showing of the panels.' The right flap titled 'Suggested Arrangements of Graphic Murals' has four simple sketches/line drawings (arranged vertically) illustrating options for hanging the panels: (a) Three panels floor to ceiling (illustrated as 3 adjacent vertical rectangles.) (b) Single panel between windows (3 vertical rectangles, left and right are windows with what look like leaded glass windows with diamond shaped panes, bordered by floor length drapes. The mural panel is in the middle. (c) 'Three panels for the back of a sun room' (3 panels on a side wall perpendicular to a wall of windows. In the front there is a wrought iron cafe table with two wrought iron cafe chairs, and a giant pot with a huge tree-like plant to the left. (4) 'single panel in a hallway' (vertical rectangle between two side tables with curved legs. There is mirror over the left table and a bonsai plant on the right table. The text under each sketch is written in a loose script in keeping with the casual nature of the drawings. The paper is discolored vertically along the fold of each flap, also in the middle of the brochure, and at top and bottom.](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/329395_0981f70fc4b958da_n.jpg "Folder, Trees")
- Folder, Trees
- luxograph print on paper.
- Gift of Marilyn Friedman.
- 2014-12-3
- Walden, A Game, 2017
- trailer.
- Courtesy of Tracy Fullerton.
- NATURE.007
Our curators have highlighted 1 object that are related to this one.
- Vase (France)
- etched overlay glass.
- Gift of Harry Harkness Flagler.
- 1949-89-2
Its dimensions are
H x W: 302.9 × 128 cm (9 ft. 11 1/4 in. × 50 3/8 in.)
It is inscribed
(printed in left selvedge) Hand printed by Elenhank Designers, Inc.
Cite this object as
Textile, Forest; USA; dacron polyester; H x W: 302.9 × 128 cm (9 ft. 11 1/4 in. × 50 3/8 in.); Gift of Henry C. and Eleanor Kluck; 1985-84-23
