Dibuix nº 10 bis 1997

This is Joan Hernandez Pijuan’s ‘Dibuix nº 10 bis’, it’s a drawing on paper, and it looks like it was made through a process of applying shapes and lines in a really intuitive way. It’s so elemental, right? There's something about the texture of the paper, its color, and the slightly imperfect shapes which gives the piece so much warmth. The paint isn't trying to hide anything; it's like Pijuan wanted us to see every little mark, every decision. Look at the dots; they’re not perfect circles, they vary in size and tone. You can almost see the pressure of the brush on the paper. This reminds me of Agnes Martin, or maybe some Cy Twombly’s drawings, in the sense that it embraces the beauty of simplicity and the ongoing conversation of mark making over time. It’s like Pijuan is reminding us that art doesn’t always have to be about grand statements; sometimes it’s just about being present in the moment, and making your mark.