Structural Constellation 1955

Josef Albers made this study called "Structural Constellation" with ink on graph paper. It’s so Albers, isn’t it? He has a knack for making simple geometric forms seem monumental. I can imagine him, bent over a table with his tools, thinking, "How can I make these lines sing?" I’ve always admired his approach to making art – which is to say, setting himself up with a problem, and then trying to solve it. In this piece, the way these black lines intersect and overlap creates a sense of depth and movement. It makes me think about how the simplest of marks can suggest complex spatial relationships. And it has that classic Albers thing, a quiet energy. You can see Albers talking to the Constructivists and the Bauhaus. You can also see him teaching his students, passing down his ideas. That's the beauty of painting, isn't it? We're all just borrowing and building on each other’s ideas, creating a visual conversation that spans generations.