Chattigraphie 1974

Jean Degottex made *Chattigraphie* with ink on paper, and I'm interested in how he’s creating something that looks like writing, but isn't exactly. There are these rows of triangles across the top that seem to fade out, and below, calligraphic marks that feel like gestures. It’s like he’s taken language and broken it down into its simplest elements, distilling the process of writing into pure action. Look closely, and you can see the variations in the ink, how it pools and feathers. He’s not trying to hide the process; he’s embracing it. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, who used handwriting as a form of drawing. But Degottex pares it down even further, exploring the edge between legibility and abstraction. What does it mean to make a mark? What kind of a thought is that? And can a painting be a thought?