Krucha ctverec/Circle and Square 1992

Ludmila Jandová created this Circle and Square sometime around 1982, using etching. The way the lines orbit, almost vibrating, you get a sense of artmaking as a real, physical, iterative process. It is the texture that really gets me going. There are these fine, almost frantic lines, like she's trying to trap something, maybe an idea, inside this form. Look closely, and you will see the circular lines that scratch around that blocky square in the center. It’s like Jandová is setting up a conversation between chaos and order, and you can almost feel the push and pull. The square itself feels solid and grounded; then you get those lines, restless, swirling around it. The layering is so important here, and it makes me think of Dorothea Tanning, another artist who wasn't afraid to let the weirdness come out. There is an embrace of ambiguity, an invitation to bring your own stuff to the table.