R 72-73-M-7 1973

This relief, by Johannes Jan Schoonhoven, presents us with a field of rectangular forms, each unit a cell in a larger matrix. The monochrome palette invites us to look closer at the subtleties of texture and the shadows that dance across the surface. The grid, of course, is a symbol we find repeated throughout human history. From the gridded cities of the Roman Empire, intended to impose order, to the structured layouts of early printed books, it represents a desire to control and organize the chaos of experience. However, here, each cell is uniquely handmade. It is the very embodiment of order. In our collective memory, the grid can trigger a feeling of confinement. As a child's building blocks, the potential of form and pattern, yet is also an imposition, a restriction on unbounded creativity. This tension—between order and chaos, control and freedom—is what engages us on a subconscious level, evoking both comfort and unease. Schoonhoven's relief is not merely a visual pattern but a reflection of our internal struggle. The matrix form can take on new meanings depending on the context.