Underbrush 

René Genis’s Underbrush is a wash and ink drawing that presents a seemingly simple scene of a forest interior. The composition immediately draws us into a space where delicate, linear trees intersect with broader washes of muted grays and blacks. This creates a sense of depth and envelopment. Genis masterfully uses the properties of ink to suggest texture and light. The starkness of the ink contrasts with the absorbent nature of the paper to create a push-and-pull dynamic between detail and abstraction. One cannot help but think of semiotics where the marks are the signs, and their arrangement constructs a narrative of space and form. The drawing reflects an engagement with poststructuralist ideas, suggesting an infinite deferral of meaning, where each element leads to another without a fixed point. The forest becomes a visual metaphor for language itself – a dense network where meaning emerges not from individual components but from their interrelation. It invites us to interpret the underbrush not as a literal depiction, but as a contemplation on perception.