Relief 1973

Here is Schoonhoven's ‘Relief,’ seemingly constructed from plaster or paper mache, and painted a pale, matte white. Imagine Schoonhoven in his studio, obsessively building up these rectangular forms, row by row. There's a kind of quiet, repetitive labor involved, almost meditative. Look at how the light catches the edges of each form, creating subtle shadows that give depth and texture to the surface. I can imagine him, maybe even struggling, with the perfection, the minimalism. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's grids, but with a more handmade, imperfect quality. Like he’s riffing on something, having a conversation. There’s a kind of back and forth in art making, a creative conversation through the ages. It embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.