Untitled 1981

Hannelore Baron made this untitled collage from paper and mixed media, and the way the materials seem to be distressed reminds me that artmaking is often about the process of layering and uncovering. Looking closely, I see scraps of patterned paper and rough-edged rectangles arranged on a weathered grey ground, all stitched together with dark thread. The thread almost looks like a child's drawing. The textures are palpable, the paper seems thin and fragile. There's a balance between geometry and gesture, seen in the contrast of the shapes in the middle ground, and the marks scattered around the surface. I find this intriguing. The whole thing has a quiet, contemplative mood. Baron's work, particularly her collages, remind me of Kurt Schwitters' Merz constructions, though Baron's aesthetic is more muted. Both artists show us how beauty and meaning can be found in the discarded and overlooked, that art is about continual conversation.