Opus 3658,59,60 Possibly 1927

Albert Plasschaert made this drawing, Opus 3658, 59, 60, with pencil and crayon on paper. The marks are intricate, all over, a bit like an obsessive doodler has taken hold. I can imagine Plasschaert, leaning in close, lost in the act of creation, filling every space, conjuring a world, or maybe a memory, from the humblest of materials. The lines scratch and weave, creating a space somewhere between a dream and a dense forest. Look at how he has layered the lines, almost like a topographical map. The density of the marks varies, creating a rhythm that pulls you in and then spits you back out. It reminds me of the way outsider artists like Madge Gill used to work, filling huge reams of fabric with obsessive patterns. There is a sense of freedom in embracing the small and the repetitive. This piece is part of a wider conversation in art about process, about the act of making as a form of thinking. It’s a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected of places.