In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiderers, Knitters, Lacemakers, and Weavers in Art

Occasionally, during the journey in this life something comes across your path that simply takes your breath away. It may be a perfectly formed flower, an amazing sunset, a passage of words, or perhaps a composition of music. All of these things leave you with a feeling of complete awe of the creator of such beautiful things. I've recently discovered a book that has left me with such a feeling and in fact I'm only now, getting my breath back! The book I'm referring to is called In Praise of the Needlewoman Embroiderers, Knitters, Lacemakers and Weavers in art. This book is the result of a thesis researched and written by Gail Sirna. This publication contains a compilation of beautiful paintings of needlewomen, by artists such as Vermeer, Renoir, Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Cassat. These paintings span from the times of the old masters, through the Impressionist and Pre-Raphaelites period right into the twentieth century Since time memorial, women from all walks of life have taken needle in hand either for the most utilitarian of needs or simply for the pleasure of creating something of artistic beauty. Artists over the centuries have endeavored to capture the concentration and serenity of the needlewoman whilst she stitches, or have tried to portray the necessities of needlework in ordinary day to day life, present the world over. The author of this sumptuous publication Gail Carolyn Sirna, has had an interest in needlework for over 30 years. It was through her passion for needlework that led her to the art that portrayed her Favourite pastime. Gail enrolled in the honors program at the National Academy of Needle Arts. In Praise of the Needlewoman evolved from Gail's' honors research for this program. Gail writes, "For peasant and princess, cave dweller, and career woman, needlework has been a most gratifying endeavor for the human being, especially women I have my Favourite paintings in this book. I especially love the painting titled "The Sick Child" which was painted by J.Bond Francisco. Whilst the mother is busy with her hands, sitting at the bedside, the painter captures her anxiety for her seriously ill child who lays unmoving in the bed. I also enjoy looking at some of the lesser known works by both well known artists and totally unknown artists. Gail Sirna completes this publication with interesting information and expert comments relating to each individual painting The intellectual capacity of the writing is a pleasure to encounter, just as each painting is a treat of its own.

I gave this to a needlewoman friend who was delighted - had never seen the book and was thrilled.

In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiderers, Knitters, Lacemakers, and Weavers in Art could've been featured in our Arts section but is reviewed here for its special interest to any involved in the needlework arts. Works by old to modern masters depict the needlewoman's artistic pursuits, and come from such famous names as Vermeer, Chardin, and Dali. This celebrates the theme, analyzing the surveying the fine art of women's work through some of the best needlework classics of the art world. Lovely full-page color photos are accompanied by insights into the painter, his subject, and the world of needlework. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

This new book by first-time author Gail Carolyn Sirna is a compendium of paintings that show women engaged in textile arts. As suggested by its title, the book is intended as homage to needlewomen through history, a counterpart to the poetic tribute by 17th Century poet John Taylor, "The Prayse of the Needle". The author's motivating assertion is that needlework is second only to childbirth and childrearing as a common thread that links women of all places, cultures, and eras. For each painting, she provides a brief commentary about its composition, what the physical setting of the female subject tells us about her life situation, and the historical context of other elements of the picture. Ms. Sirna has taught needlework for 30 years, is an award-winning embroiderer, and is a regular columnist for Needlepoint Now. In 2004 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Needlearts. In Praise of the Needlewoman started as a lecture presented for needlework guilds. It evolved over time as the focus for the author's Honors Teaching Certification through the National Academy of Needlearts (NAN), and finally has come to maturity in the form of this book. En route, the author researched the collections of museums in North America and Europe to identify relevant paintings from the 15th through the 20th centuries. She indicates in her introduction that these investigations yielded nearly 500 such paintings. This text presents approximately 90 of them, although the criteria for their selection are not provided. The paintings are presented chronologically by date of creation. Each painting is given a full page, with the artist, title, date of creation, and source of each painting presented below the image. The author's narrative is on the opposite page; the writing is straightforward, objective, and highly readable. In some cases, the painting is repeated as a monochromatic halftone screen under the written narrative. This is a particularly effective design feature that enhances the visual presentation without compromising the readability of the text. The color reproductions are of a very high quality; in fact, given their number, the nominal price of $35 seems very reasonable. The table of contents does not list the paintings individually, however they are indexed by artist at the end of the book. The dimensions of this hardcover book (approx. 8.5" x 11") are entirely consistent with the intimate tone of the book. It can be comfortably held in one's hands for reading or scanning, but at the same time its size provides enough page area to do the paintings justice. Although a number of previous texts have detailed the history of needlework from a variety of different perspectives, this book offers a novel approach. The coupling of the paintings with a short narrative gives an immediacy to their historical context that can be difficult to extract from more conventional presentations. This book is unlike anything else in my libra