Tres Laminas 1959

Mathias Goeritz made these three little golden panels, possibly sometime in the mid-twentieth century, with what looks like a painstaking process of repetitive mark-making, almost like counting. You can really see the artist's hand in this piece, right? Like the way the tiny bumps catch the light, and the way the texture seems to vibrate. I wonder if he felt like he was building something monumental, like a tiny city or a landscape, each mark a little act of creation. Imagine the patience it took, pressing each little dot into the surface! This kind of repetition reminds me of Agnes Martin, who did these incredible minimalist grids. There’s something about the small scale here that’s so intimate, so personal, yet the overall effect is grand. Goeritz’s process, though different, shares a similar commitment to a simple, repetitive gesture that builds into something much bigger than itself. These painters – Agnes Martin, and others – were all in conversation, pushing the limits of what a painting could be.