Cercle 94-10-8 1994

Matsutani made this inky 'Cercle 94-10-8' with graphite, pencil, and vinyl adhesive. I imagine him leaning in, circling this form, coaxing its shape from the surface. Look at how the graphite makes a smooth, almost fleshy texture. It's like a big drop of something, spreading and settling. The pencil line travels around and then away again, as if the idea of a circle is enough, no need to actually close it. I bet Matsutani was thinking about growth, about how things expand and change over time. Those rings inside the circle feel like tree rings, right? But then that dark, pooled shape on the side complicates things. Is it part of the growth, or something else entirely? Like Yves Klein, he lets the material speak, drip, and stain in a way that is also very controlled. Painting is a conversation across time, and Matsutani contributes to it beautifully, embracing the messy, the uncertain, the unresolved.