Untitled 1977

Ruth Vollmer made this untitled piece in 1977, probably using colored pencils. What strikes me is the process of it – the careful, almost meditative way the squares are filled in. It’s like a visual mantra, where each mark is a step in a rhythmic dance. I love how the color creates a kind of emotional architecture. The solid blocks of color in the middle row give you these bold, declarative feelings, while the other rows, with their hatching and cross-hatching, feel more like whispers. The circles in the top row, divided into segments, add a layer of complexity, a reminder that things aren’t always what they seem. Vollmer reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, in the way she uses simple forms to create a universe of feeling. Ultimately, this piece is about how art can be both incredibly precise and wonderfully open-ended, a space for endless interpretation.