Untitled Drawing 2006

David Batchelor created this untitled drawing, deploying spray paint and graphite on graph paper, a common material which is typically used as an underlayer. Batchelor emerged as an artist in the late 1980s, during a period of intense cultural debate around identity politics and the commodification of art. He’s known for his vibrant color palettes and his exploration of urban environments and consumer culture. The grid paper provides a rigid structure, but the overlapping circles of spray paint introduce an element of chance and freedom, which soften the rigid architecture of the grid. There is an emotional experience in this push and pull. How the hard lines of the grid provide a map, almost like we are looking down at a city at night. Batchelor’s work encourages us to reflect on our relationship with color and its role in shaping our perceptions of the world around us. It also invites us to consider how color and form interact with the underlying structures that govern our lives.