The Fragile 2007

This is Louise Bourgeois' 'The Fragile', and it's like a whisper of a drawing done with pen and diluted ink on fabric. The blue feels like it's breathing. You can see it as a process, almost like watching thought unfurl, line by line. The texture of the fabric peeks through, grounding the ethereal blue washes in something real, something you could touch. Look at those radiating blue lines—wings? rays of light? Each one is different, some bold and sure, others fading into the background, like memories. They spread out and become more transparent, a bit like the way Bourgeois worked with psychological themes in her practice. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbles, that sense of urgent, almost childlike expression. But here, there’s an added layer of vulnerability, maybe that's what the title is referring to. It is a raw and honest look at emotion, laid bare on cloth.