Géometrie 1966

Bernar Venet created this mixed media work, Géometrie, of paper collage and graphite on paper. The composition's arrangement of geometric diagrams and handwritten notes strikes a delicate balance between precision and spontaneity. The pasted elements, with their pre-existing lines and textual annotations, contrast with the artist's own freehand drawing to the right. Venet’s superimposition of found diagrams onto the drawing creates layers of meaning that disrupt conventional notions of mathematical certainty. Here, Venet engages with semiotics, using geometric shapes as signs that point beyond their immediate forms to broader concepts of order and structure. The handwritten text adds another layer, introducing subjective interpretation into an ostensibly objective field. The work challenges fixed meanings by presenting geometry, not as a set of immutable truths, but as a system open to artistic intervention and re-evaluation. It’s a fascinating interplay between objective form and subjective expression, inviting us to question the boundaries between art and science.