Trames 0°-90°---40 mm au trait et pleines 1972

Editor: This is François Morellet's "Trames 0°-90°—40 mm au trait et pleines," created in 1972. It’s a striking composition – the stark black lines against the white backdrop create a really strong contrast. What’s your initial reading of this piece? Curator: The work immediately presents a study in structured simplicity. The orthogonal lines, precisely rendered, divide the space into quadrants. What interests me is not merely the geometry, but the interplay between positive and negative space, the very tangible void that acquires just as much visual weight as the solid bars. Editor: I see what you mean about the equal weight. How do you think Morellet achieves that? Curator: Primarily through the sharp delineation and uniform width of the lines. They aren't gestural; their machine-like quality ensures an absolute visual flatness and lack of depth, reducing any hierarchical relationship between figure and ground. Consider also, the monochrome palette contributes further to the optical push and pull between the positive and the negative elements, do you see this? Editor: Yes, the stark contrast emphasizes the geometry and makes it hard to prioritize one element over the other. It's like my eye keeps shifting focus. It feels almost… kinetic despite its simplicity. Curator: Precisely. Though static, it possesses a visual dynamism – an optical vibration arising from the balanced tension between opposing elements, questioning perception. What implications do you feel this may suggest? Editor: Well, it challenges me to find meaning, since there's no representational imagery. I guess I'm appreciating the formal qualities – the line, shape, and contrast – more directly. Curator: And that, perhaps, is precisely the point.