Interim 1942

Josef Albers made this print, Interim, with ink on paper, using straight lines to create an impression of volume that plays tricks with our eyes. It’s like he's saying, let's see how far we can push the basic elements. There's something so compelling about how Albers sticks to the grid, yet manages to make it feel like it’s breathing, or shifting. The surface is flat, but the relationships that are created hint at three-dimensional forms. If you look closely at the way the lines cluster on the left-hand side of the work, you can see how Albers builds up a sort of pressure, a visual weight that makes the rest of the composition feel lighter, somehow more provisional. The clarity and precision of Albers’ work reminds me of Sol LeWitt. But unlike LeWitt, there's a warmth to Albers' approach, maybe because he’s thinking about color, and not just form, using simple means to explore infinite possibilities.