Study for Rhythm of a Russian Dance 1918

Theo van Doesburg made this tiny drawing called Study for Rhythm of a Russian Dance with ink on paper. It’s all about process, right? You can see how the image emerges from the movement of the hand, one line at a time. The dark, geometric shapes, all stacked together, really vibrate against the white ground, even though the drawing itself is super controlled. The lines are sharp and precise, but in places they are smudged, like he couldn’t quite decide whether to conceal his workings, or reveal them. Check out the marks in the lower right: they’re clustered together, like a little thicket, creating a real sense of depth and texture. For me, that’s where you see the rhythm take shape. Van Doesburg was part of the De Stijl group, along with Piet Mondrian. It makes me think about the way that artists riff off each other, feeding into an ongoing conversation. But even though this piece is so measured and careful, it’s also totally alive.