Michael Rohde, Abstracted Faces: A Study in Minimalism

Artist Statement:

Handwoven tapestry has often been pushed to the limits of the capabilities of the medium in an effort to approach photorealism. My approach is to recognize the grid imposed by the loom. This leads me to examine the minimum bits of information that can suggest a recognizable image. For this group of tapestries, I have used photos of faces, some recognizable, some not, and reduced the image to 20 pixels wide. This produces the weaving plan, from which I again approximate the colors for each pixel and weave, row by row, a set of squares to generate an abstracted face.

Those chosen for this group are two remarkable people who should be role models for all of us.

Abstracted Faces: A Study in Minimalism

In this collection, Michael Rohde explores the intersection of technology and tradition, reducing facial images to their simplest form. By limiting each image to a grid of 20 pixels in width, Rohde challenges the viewer to find recognition and emotion in abstraction. Each tapestry is a testament to the power of minimalism, where the fewest possible elements convey the essence of a human face.

Biography:

Born: Fort Worth, TX
Resides: Westlake Village, CA
Education: 1979-1981, Glassel School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

Michael F. Rohde has been weaving since 1973. His formal training in drawing, color, and design was at the Alfred Glassel School of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. His activities include lecturing, teaching workshops, serving as a juror, organizing exhibitions, and exhibiting in numerous local, national, and international juried and invited shows.

Recently, his work has been included in the United States Department of State Art in Embassies Program, exhibits at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, the American Craft Museum in New York, the Invitational Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland, "From Lausanne to Beijing" (twice), "Houses for Nomads" (a solo exhibit at the Janina Monkute-Marks Museum in Lithuania), and an exhibition at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park in San Diego. His work is in the permanent collections of the Textile Museum (Washington, DC), the Mingei, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, the Ventura County Museum of Art, the Racine Art Museum, and The Art Institute of Chicago.