Skulptur I 1988

Jan Groth made *Skulptur I* with a dark, linear mark against a muted, creamy ground. I can imagine Jan, grappling with the weight of each stroke. The subtle gradations hint at layer upon layer of paint, a patient, almost meditative process of building form. Does it look sculptural to you? I think he was going for some 3D trickery. That single, almost hesitant line, wavering and finding its path on the canvas, is it a metaphor for human existence? I bet that he worked and reworked that line to express a feeling, intention, or meaning. Painters are always in dialogue across time, and I wonder if, when Jan Groth made this piece, he was thinking about the American abstract expressionist painters? Just as they did, he takes the most simple form and explores an embodied expression, which embraces uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.