Meditation (Relief) 1950

Cesar Domela made this relief, titled Meditation, from wood and metal. It’s clear he’s thinking through how the different materials might speak to each other. The wood has this gentle, rounded quality, but it’s also been carved with sharp edges, like the world of architecture. I love the way he's combined that with the metal, which is so linear and kinda droopy. It’s almost like the metal is bowing down to the wood. And then you've got this painted ground in blues, which is textured, almost like it’s been combed. There’s a bit of an André Breton surrealist vibe, maybe a touch of Tatlin, but Domela has a delicacy that’s all his own. He brings it all together in a way that feels meditative, like the materials are in conversation, finding a common ground. It reminds me that art is just one long, ongoing conversation across time.