Triangular Fugue I 1965

John Dowell made this print, Triangular Fugue I, using a variety of marks in different colours that together create a feeling of movement and depth. It's like he's composing a piece of music, but with lines and shapes instead of notes. The palette here is mostly muted, except for flashes of red that really pop, drawing your eye around the image. Dowell lets the process show, you can see the layering of colors and textures, with some areas more built up than others, he doesn't hide anything. Take a look at the way the triangle in the center is constructed; it's not just a solid shape, but a kind of scaffold made of lines, almost architectural. Then compare that to the looser marks that drift around it. The whole thing reminds me a bit of Twombly's messy classicism, but with its own distinct rhythm. It’s a reminder that art is always in conversation, borrowing and transforming ideas across time.