Breve VI 1985

Jean Degottex made "Breve VI" using a restrained palette of black and white. The process feels almost like a dance, a delicate interplay between control and chance. Look at the texture – the way the light catches on the surface. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving, see the pressure he applied. The black areas are dense, opaque, while the whites are more translucent, watery. Notice that hazy, vertical stripe on the right – it's like a ghost of a brushstroke, a residue of the making process, and it really invites a sense of meditative calm. Degottex reminds me a bit of Franz Kline, but with a softer touch. Both artists embraced the power of black and white, but Degottex's work feels more introspective, more focused on the subtle nuances of mark-making. It's a piece that invites you to slow down, to contemplate the beauty of imperfection.