Horlignes 21 1969

Jean Degottex made this painting, "Horlignes 21," with an unknown medium, and what I see are a series of horizontal lines that traverse a field of grey and black. It's as if Degottex was trying to capture a feeling, a mood, or a fleeting thought. I can imagine him, brush in hand, stepping back, squinting, then adding another layer, another line. Was he thinking of Agnes Martin, of the quiet power of repetition? Maybe. Or perhaps he was channeling the energy of the calligraphers, the way they use a single stroke to convey a whole world. Look closely at the way the paint thins and thickens, how the surface seems to breathe. It's not just about what's there, but also about what's been taken away, what's been left unsaid. It's a reminder that painting isn't just about making marks on a surface. It's about the conversation between the artist and the materials. It's an act of discovery, a way of making sense of the world, one brushstroke at a time.