R 71 - 14 1971

Curator: At first glance, I'm struck by how deceptively simple yet visually complex this piece is. It almost pulsates. Editor: We're looking at "R 71 - 14" a 1971 mixed-media relief by Johannes Jan Schoonhoven. It's fascinating how he's taken serial forms and created something that feels almost organic. What do you see in this abstraction, looking deeper? Curator: The repetition creates a calming rhythm, doesn't it? A kind of mantra visually represented. It's hard to escape associations with woven tapestries and patterns used in sacred architecture, though. A deeply human urge to find meaning through structured arrangements is revealed. Editor: I can see that. Structurally, each horizontal element presents a subtle variation. It is these variations that save it from the totalizing effect of mere repetition. Each shift disrupts a unified reading. Curator: I agree. And that disruption… it invites meditation. It reminds us that order and chaos are always intertwined. I'm curious about the light. Do you think the shadows are deliberately placed or purely a result of the relief's three-dimensionality? Editor: That interplay is crucial, wouldn’t you agree? Without the contrast, all sense of form would flatten into the pictorial plane. I see light operating as a fundamental structural component, almost akin to a musical score informing tonal values and creating points of visual tension. Curator: Absolutely. This interplay extends to the overall effect as the piece holds both ancient and modern resonances. From prehistoric art forms like cave paintings, reflecting an inherent understanding of the relationship between symbols, self and environment. Editor: That is interesting when thinking of conceptual art, that, beyond the purely formal exploration, this work resonates on multiple levels: aesthetic, yes, but also psychological and perhaps even…spiritual? Curator: Precisely. It is so minimal, so stark, yet conveys multitudes. It echoes our yearning for pattern and permanence. Editor: Yes, I walked in expecting a sterile exercise in formalism, but it became more poetic under scrutiny.