1. 4 1974

Peter Downsbrough made this piece, simply titled 1. 4, using clean lines on what looks like a pale canvas or board. It’s the kind of work that makes you think about what it means to make a mark, any mark. The whole thing is about placement, really. There’s this big off-white field, almost empty, and then BAM—two sets of thin, dark lines, precisely positioned. On the left, two parallel lines, standing close together. Over to the right, a single line, but it’s broken, interrupted by a small gap. The surface looks smooth, maybe even a little bit matte, so these lines really pop, like they’re sitting right on top. It makes me think about Sol LeWitt, who was also into these kinds of simple gestures. But where LeWitt was all about the system, this feels more… personal? Like Downsbrough is asking us to consider not just the idea of a line, but the space around it, the silence, the potential. It’s a quiet piece, but it speaks volumes about how little it takes to make us see.