Ni main ni pied - no. 396 1955

Hans Richter made this collage, called "Neither hand nor foot" or "Ni main ni pied", using paper and glue on card, in the middle of the last century. The playful arrangement feels like an exercise in how to make something out of nothing. The flat color and simplified shapes bring to mind the way a kid might approach a collage. There's a similar spirit of playful abandon. The texture's pretty flat, right? But notice the contrast between the dark, solid shapes of the feet and the transparent hands. The layering creates a sense of depth and movement. The off-center placement of that little yin-yang shape? It disrupts the balance, adding a touch of surreal humor. It’s like Richter is reminding us not to take things too seriously. This reminds me a little bit of Kurt Schwitters' collages, with its use of found materials and Dadaist sensibility. It's all about embracing chance and finding beauty in the everyday.