Sixth Stone III 1964

Lee Bontecou created this print, Sixth Stone III, and like much of her work, it feels futuristic, a portal to somewhere else. The image is constructed through the careful layering of lithographic marks. The color palette is muted, mostly blacks and creams, but there’s a luminosity to it, especially around the concentric circles. This makes me think about the process of printmaking itself, where each layer builds on the last, creating depth and texture. Looking closely, you can see the subtle imperfections in the circles, the way they wobble and shift. And in that dark center, there’s a sense of infinite space, a pull that’s both enticing and a little scary. It reminds me a bit of Gego’s wire sculptures, with their delicate lines and sense of precarious balance. Both artists seem to be exploring the boundaries between order and chaos, inviting us to step into the unknown. It’s this ambiguity, this refusal to offer easy answers, that makes Bontecou's work so compelling.