Wandbespanning 1911 - 1915

This is Wandbespanning, made with printed material by Chris Lebeau. This surface looks so inviting, like a field of wheat after the harvest. It makes me think about the way we use repeated marks to fill space, like a painter layering brushstrokes, or a writer filling a page with words. Here, the pattern isn't trying to trick you, it's very open about its making. Up close, you can see the weave of the fabric, a grid made from tiny vertical and horizontal lines. The block printed figures sit within this grid, creating a dialogue between the organic shapes and the rigid structure. I love that the palette is reduced to just two colors, a sandy yellow and off-white, it really lets you focus on the form, almost like a line drawing. Looking at this, I can't help but think of the work of Anni Albers, and her exploration of the grid as a fundamental structure for art. Both invite us to see the beauty in simple repeated forms, and to consider the potential for complexity within these constraints.