Tarantella 1918

Theo van Doesburg made this work, Tarantella, sometime between 1925 and 1928, using a graphic style. It’s all about straight lines, verticals and horizontals, that imply movement without actually depicting anything. Looking closely, the surface has a kind of uneven texture, and the black ink is consistently opaque, printed or painted with a single mark to build up the entire image. There’s a playful asymmetry, with the composition weighted towards the top. These shapes almost resemble architectural blueprints, or even characters in some unknown alphabet, like symbols. It reminds me of the work of Bridget Riley, especially how she explores the dynamics of perception through simple geometric forms. Ultimately, this piece is about reduction. What is the bare minimum needed to suggest rhythm, dance, and maybe even a little bit of life? Art becomes an open ended experiment.