Reach Series #1-2-3 1973

Jake Berthot created "Reach Series #1-2-3" in 1973, likely as a study for a larger work. Its materials are modest: graphite, paper, and tape. The initial impression is of provisionality. The taped-down square of dense graphite is raw, almost brutal, in its application. Beneath this, a diagrammatic arrangement of squares and triangles is drawn on graph paper. The hand-drawn lines, annotated measurements, and the grid beneath them, show the artist's engagement with geometry, a language of precision, planning, and structure. Berthot isn't just making a picture; he's working out a set of relationships, using the page as a site for intellectual labor. The contrast between the expressive graphite square and the technical drawing highlights the tensions between intuition and calculation, feeling and form. It's as though Berthot is exploring how these can coexist, intertwine, and inform one another. This reflects the artist's interest in how we make our way in the world.