Fragment VIII 2001

Robert Mangold made Fragment VIII, and you can see how he embraces the imperfect. It is this kind of provisional gesture that I find really interesting, that mark making can be a process of discovery. Look closely, and you'll notice the texture, almost like a rough skin, and the way the black lines seem to push against the edges. They’re not just decorative; they’re holding the whole thing together, like sutures. I can see that the paint application is quite thin. It is also quite opaque, but you can also see the marks underneath, maybe made by a brush or a cloth. Now, think about Eva Hesse, especially her rope pieces, that embrace the awkward and the handmade, the way she lets the materials do their thing. Mangold’s work, like Hesse’s, reminds us that art doesn’t always have to be about perfection. Instead, it can be about the messy, beautiful process of trying to figure things out.