Language Is Not Transparent 1969

Mel Bochner made this in 1969, using ink, and the result is that language is not transparent. In the first square we can see the phrase ‘language is not transparent’ and then in the next it starts to become more blurred, repeated and broken up. By the last square, the phrase is almost unreadable. I wonder what was going on in Bochner’s mind when he made this? It looks like it was a long, repetitive process. I can imagine the artist feeling like they were getting further away from the meaning of the phrase with each square. Each layer of ink seems to add to the opacity. This makes me think about other process-based artists, like Sol Lewitt, who use repetition and simple gestures to create complex works. It's like they are saying that making art is a process of thinking and doing, and the final result is just one part of that. It makes you realise how one artist inspires another across time.