Duo H 1966

Josef Albers made this, Duo H, sometime in his career, using line to make us think about space. Look how each white line barely sits on the black ground. It’s so precise, a real testament to Albers’ eye. I wonder how he planned it, I can imagine him fiddling with rulers and compasses. It's pretty neat. See how the line has subtle variations in thickness? It's like he's letting the hand sneak in. In the end the geometry almost doesn’t matter. This piece is less about perfect shapes and more about how we perceive them. Albers reminds me a bit of Sol Lewitt, in that they both use simple shapes to explore complex ideas, but where Lewitt goes for system, Albers goes for feel. This work invites us to see, and think, and feel, all at once. And maybe even question what's real and what's not.