11 configurations Possibly 1945

Jean Arp made this print, 11 configurations, and honestly, the shapes are just so yummy. The thing about Arp is that he lets the shapes be what they want to be; they're not trying to be anything else, you know? The textures in the black areas feel like they are built from a lot of tiny vertical lines, but then he kind of lets them bleed together, like he's not precious about it. I think about Miro a lot when I see Arp. They both had this idea of letting the subconscious guide them, but Arp is more reduced and raw. This print feels like it was made by a sculptor who is thinking about the essence of form. It doesn't feel like it's trying to tell you anything, it's more like it's just there, existing in its own right. It's all about the joy of making.