Texte de terre 1959

Jean Dubuffet made this “Texte de terre” – which means “text of earth” – using lithography. It’s funny how Dubuffet makes something so flat feel so textured. The mottled surface is like the earth, dirt and dust all mixed together. The tones aren't just brown – there are blacks and grays, and even hints of pale ochre, all shifting and shimmering, like when light hits the ground just right. Look at the way the color is distributed – it’s almost like a constellation of tiny marks, each one distinct, yet part of a larger whole. It reminds me of Agnes Martin's grids, but way more organic, way less controlled. Where Martin aims for transcendence through repetition, Dubuffet seems to embrace the chaos and messiness of the real world. Dubuffet was inspired by the art of children and the mentally ill, and he wanted to make art that was similarly raw and unfiltered. He wanted to get back to basics, to find beauty in the everyday, and in the process of making itself.