Blad met patroon van vierkantjes 1861 - 1939

This patterned print was made by Stampi Remondiniani PESP. Given that we don't know when it was made, it could be from any period, and what I am immediately drawn to is the systematic nature of the marks. There is something both compelling and repelling about such a rigid structure. It can be appreciated on one hand for its precision and control. But perhaps more importantly to me, is the suggestion that there is an impulse to control that borders on obsessive. What does it mean when the repetition of the mark, of the square, is more important than its expressivity? We might ask ourselves how the idea of "the grid" has functioned in modern art. Sometimes it is read as the ultimate expression of the enlightenment. Sometimes, it is a metaphor for the alienating effects of modernity. The artist’s choice of a stark, almost oppressive, grid challenges us to confront the delicate balance between order and freedom, structure and chaos in our own lives.