Precarite 1959

Jean Dubuffet made this lithograph titled 'Precarite' in 1959. Look at how he built up that mottled surface, a kind of distressed skin of browns and greys. I can imagine Dubuffet working on this print, layering textures, maybe using found materials to get that gritty feel, almost like he's unearthing something. It's like he's making a landscape, but one that’s more about the process of decay and transformation. The lines create a kind of shallow depth – maybe a wall, or a pit? Dubuffet wasn't interested in traditional ideas of beauty, he looked to the art of the mentally ill, to children’s art, for a more direct, unfiltered form of expression. This piece reminds me of some of the experimental printmaking and painting happening today, where artists are pushing the boundaries of the medium, embracing chance and imperfection. We're all in conversation with each other.