Deploiement 1959

Jean Dubuffet made this lithograph, or print, called "Deploiement," and it’s all about texture. I imagine him in the studio, maybe a little impatient, splattering and stippling the litho stone to get this gritty, complex surface. It’s mostly grays and beiges, but they’re mixed in a way that makes you want to touch it. It reminds me of those asphalt paintings he did, where he mixed all kinds of stuff into the paint to get this really rough, crusty feel. There's a kind of scratch right across the middle of the image that might be a mistake, or maybe he put it there on purpose. It’s subtle, but it kind of pulls the whole thing together. Dubuffet was always trying to find beauty in the everyday, and this print is a good example of that. He shows us how much is there if we take the time to look. He's in conversation with artists like Klee, but also forging his own path. It's an invitation to see the world in a new way.