According to the Laws of Chance 1933

Jean Arp made this piece called, "According to the Laws of Chance" without fixing the elements to each other, so that the final arrangement was left to chance. The shapes feel soft and organic. Look closely, and you'll see how they almost seem to bleed into the paper. The edges are fuzzy, not precise. I imagine Arp allowing the ink to spread, embracing the unexpected. I love how this piece embraces the unpredictable. The dark shapes scattered across the white ground remind me of a constellation, as if he just threw them there. This relates to his wider interest in chance, as well as surrealism, where the work is meant to be more open to the unconscious. It makes me think of John Cage, who also embraced chance operations in his music, letting go of control and opening up to new possibilities.