Variation I 1968

Ian Tyson's 'Variation I' from 1968 presents a field of small squares, methodically arranged. The palette consists of black, white, yellow, green, blue and red, with a green checkered square in the centre, an arrangement that reminds me of the digital patterns of early video games. I wonder what Tyson was thinking about while making this? I imagine Tyson as an artist who is highly structured and rigorous, interested in hard-edged abstraction and the geometric experiments of Josef Albers or Agnes Martin. Yet, the slight imperfections in the grid give the piece a sense of playfulness. The colors feel strangely optimistic, cheerful even. It reminds me of a textile pattern, maybe a woven rug or a knitted blanket. Each little square is like a pixel, and it's interesting to see how these tiny units come together to form a larger, more complex image. It's like Tyson is building a world, square by square.