Vier Variationen um ein Quadrat 1980

Verena Loewensberg made this print called Vier Variationen um ein Quadrat, which translates to Four Variations on a Square, and I am so curious as to what those variations are. There are these little rectangles dotted around the squares, each one coloured in with blue, yellow, black, red, or turquoise. I wonder whether she was playing a kind of game with herself, like a puzzle of color and form. Did she begin by placing the squares, and then experimenting with the coloured shapes to create balance? Did she have one rule or many? I sympathize with the artist - what a joy it must have been to experiment! It’s interesting that the shapes don’t seem to touch, or overlap, or interact – it’s like an inventory or a catalogue, like she’s saying "Here are the elements and here is what they can do". Looking at this makes me think of Piet Mondrian’s grids, but somehow it is less serious, and more playful. Every artist works in response to those who have come before them, like a never-ending game of consequences. It seems that for Loewensberg, this game involves bringing joy and a sense of fun into geometric abstraction.