Untitled 1961

This is an untitled print by Glen Alps. Immediately, one notices the tension between control and chance, order and chaos, which animates its composition. The print is divided into distinct zones: to the left, a column of biomorphic shapes in blue, densely packed yet clearly defined. Adjacent to this, a field of muted yellow ochre overlaid with ambiguous forms in browns and blacks. Horizontal lines bisect these two contrasting elements, forming a kind of visual barrier. Alps here seems less interested in pure abstraction and more invested in exploring the poetics of form, and the underlying structures that give rise to visual meaning. This is achieved through a kind of semiotic play, where recognizable shapes verge on abstraction and abstract forms hint at recognizable objects. Ultimately, what is most striking about this print is its restless energy. Its dynamic arrangement suggests that meaning is not something fixed, but is always in flux.