Jennifer Ng

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Herzog, Richard

Keywords

St. Catherine of Bologna, Quilts, Art, Narrative

Area of Concentration

Art

Abstract

These narrative quilts combine traditional and modern quilting techniques: traditional quilt patterns, hand-turned appliqué, free-motion machine quilting and embroidery elements. They depict the vita, or Life, of St. Catherine of Bologna, a patron saint of artists. The images are in the style of Early Renaissance art and are layered with references to the Life of St. Catherine. The viewer reads the series like a picture book; all pieces must be viewed together and in sequence for the narrative to be complete. The quilt borders are made up of the squares and triangles; shapes on which many quilt patterns are based. The uneven edges make it seem as if the quilts were torn out of a chapel wall, a reference to the fact that vitas were often used for fresco cycles, painted directly onto wet plaster walls. The effect is to explore the boundaries between traditional and modern, art and craft.

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