Salissures 1959

Jean Dubuffet made this print, Salissures, using lithography, a process that just revels in texture. You can really see Dubuffet digging into the surface, scratching and smearing, making marks that feel primal. There's a real physicality to it, you know? The ink isn't precious or delicate, it's almost like mud or dirt, worked right into the paper. Take a look at how the dark ink pools in the upper left, then thins out to these streaky marks that run diagonally. It’s like he's trying to create a landscape, but one from a dream, or maybe a nightmare. Dubuffet always had an interest in what he called 'Art Brut' - raw art - and you see that here in how the marks feel unlearned, immediate. It reminds me a bit of Cy Twombly, but with less flourish and more grit. Ultimately, it is the unresolved tension that keeps this piece so alive.