V74-63S 1980

Herman de Vries made this, V74-63S, with a clear vision and perhaps a homemade stamp! Imagine the artist carefully inking his tool, each press a deliberate act. Spot after spot, rhythm and pattern begin to emerge. It’s kind of like Agnes Martin’s grids. The white background hums with the presence of each dark point. There's a strange vibration. You know, when I look at this, I think about those old samplers, and I imagine de Vries contemplating nature, the cosmos, and the way we try to make sense of chaos. The individual marks become units, like cells in a larger organism. I can feel his hand and thought process. It also reminds me a bit of Tauba Auerbach’s work in its exploration of systems and order. Ultimately, this piece invites us to slow down, observe, and find our own order in the apparent simplicity. What mark will you make?