From White Net 1981

Editor: Right, so this is Sadamasa Motonaga’s *From White Net*, created in 1981. It seems to be a graphic piece, maybe a drawing. What really strikes me is how playful it feels, almost like a robot made of building blocks. It is mostly lines and colors in geometric arrangements. What do you make of it? Curator: Ah, yes! "Playful" is the word that springs to my mind as well. Do you see the hints of post-impressionism? Look at the almost childlike rendering of form and space; the grid-like body evokes the structured yet whimsical side of abstraction. I wonder, could this be a playful rebellion against the strict rigidity sometimes found in modernism? I’m reminded of Klee’s drawings in the way it marries geometrical elements with a sense of spontaneity. Editor: I can see that, definitely something of a less serious Klee. So do you think the ‘net’ is some form of a rigid structure he's maybe commenting on? Or playfully poking at? Curator: Perhaps, but isn't it also inviting us to look *through* the net? To find joy and individuality within a predetermined structure? I wonder if Motonaga is suggesting that art, and maybe life itself, doesn’t have to be confined; those colours might be him finding escape routes from the grid. What about you, does it invite you into the space? Editor: That’s a cool interpretation. Now that you say it, it definitely changes the feel; the image suddenly has more depth, suggesting looking past a surface to appreciate what’s beyond. Curator: Exactly! The beauty of art isn't just in the initial reaction, but in the continuous unfolding of meaning. Don’t you think? Editor: Absolutely. I’ll definitely look at grid-based art a bit differently going forward!