Chansons 1959

Jean Dubuffet made this textured print, ‘Chansons,’ in 1959. It's an all-over composition, with no single focal point demanding your attention. The magic is in the details, the way the marks pile up on each other. Looking closely, you can almost feel the grit and the grain. It’s not just about what you see, but how you imagine the process – the hand pressing, layering, and building up this crusty surface. There’s a spot, a little lighter patch, slightly off-center near the top. It almost looks like something was rubbed away, revealing a lighter layer underneath. This small detail invites you to dive into the artwork's history. This kind of surface obsessed Dubuffet, and you can see him working with similar ideas in his paintings from the period. Think of Antoni Tàpies, too, who was also playing with texture and raw materials, pushing the boundaries of what art could be. What do you make of this conversation between artists?