Wandbespanning 1911 - 1915

This is "Wandbespanning," by Chris Lebeau, and it lives at the Rijksmuseum. Imagine Lebeau carefully layering these columns, one on top of the other. What was he thinking as he made his marks? Was he trying to find the precise balance between form and fluidity? The subtle, thin paint application gives the piece an ethereal quality, almost as if the columns are floating on the canvas. Look closely at the delicate details of each column – it’s like a language unto itself. The way he repeats forms, and the vertical lines, really speak to me, like the echo of one idea across time. It makes me think about the work of Agnes Martin. Artists are in a constant conversation with one another. Lebeau is asking: how can we create structure that still has a breath? How can we embrace repetition without losing dynamism?