Every 15 cms, every 16 cms (dash of one cm long) 1974

Francois Morellet made this painting called "Every 15 cms, every 16 cms (dash of one cm long)" with black lines on a white surface, creating a sort of minimalist grid. I imagine Morellet, with his ruler and his paint, making these marks, one by one. It’s like he's setting up a system, almost like a musical score. The way the little dashes are spaced out, sometimes closer, sometimes further apart, reminds me of the rhythms and repetitions you find in Agnes Martin's grids, or even Sol LeWitt's wall drawings. It’s about the pure act of making, you know? The physicality of putting those lines down, one after the other. The beauty emerges from this simple act of mark-making, creating something that is simultaneously ordered and a little bit off, like a perfectly tuned instrument played slightly out of key. The artist's hand is always present, guiding the outcome, but also embracing the unexpected.