Entopic Graphomania 1945

Dolfi Trost made this drawing, Entopic Graphomania, with ink on paper, but we don’t know exactly when. The title itself suggests a kind of involuntary gesture – the term entopic refers to images that originate within the eye. Look closely, and you will notice the lines seem to radiate out from a series of dots, almost like a network. There’s a strange balance here, between the systematic and the haphazard. There’s something compulsive about the repetition and the density of the lines. If you follow just one line, it takes you on a slightly wobbly journey. The slight variations in pressure and the irregular connections create a sense of depth, like the topography of a landscape. Agnes Martin also comes to mind – though her drawings are so different – in their shared interest in the grid, and the beauty of a hand-drawn line. Ultimately this piece is about seeing how a simple set of instructions can lead to something complex, yet strangely ordered.