Insect 1884 - 1952

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries made this little ink drawing, Insect, on graph paper. I am taken by this approach to mark making which uses the grid structure to build the image. There's something about how de Vries embraces the limitations of the graph paper that feels so freeing. Each square becomes a pixel, building up the form of the insect in a kind of early digital aesthetic. The insect itself is so simple, a collection of rectangles and lines, but it has a real presence. It reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin, who also used grids to create meditative, abstract works. Both artists show how simple forms, repeated and varied, can create a powerful emotional impact. What seems like constraint becomes a playground for invention, revealing the endless possibilities within the simplest of structures.