Champ de pensee 1959

Jean Dubuffet made this work, "Champ de pensée," using lithography, a printmaking technique that embraces the beauty of the imperfect. The piece has a mottled, almost worn texture with various shades of brown and grey blending together. It feels less like a pristine image and more like a fragment of something ancient and weathered. Dubuffet made use of the inherent qualities of lithography, which involves drawing on a stone or metal plate and using oil-based inks. This printmaking process can be quite physical, and its textures are very much on display here. Dubuffet was fascinated by the art of the everyday, the raw and the unschooled. He deliberately challenged conventional notions of beauty and skill, seeking a kind of primal expression. He engaged with the labor of creating prints. Understanding Dubuffet's focus on materials, processes, and social context is essential to fully grasping his work, breaking down traditional barriers between fine art and craft.