Ohne Titel (Gefallener Stabhochspringer) 1972

Dieter Asmus made this print, 'Ohne Titel (Gefallener Stabhochspringer)', which translates as 'Untitled (Fallen Pole Vaulter)', using a fine, granular technique that gives the colors a soft, almost dreamlike quality. It’s all about process here, the way the ink is applied and the image built up, layer by layer. The texture is smooth, with a slight graininess that softens the bold lines and flat planes of color, and the color palette is bold, with the solid blue of the sky contrasting with the green geometric shapes of the ground. There's a funny tension between the highly rendered figure of the vaulter and the simple lines and shapes that make up the rest of the image. That pole, casting its shadow so precisely, is the anchor of the piece, a solid line in a world of shifting perspectives. Asmus's clear, linear style connects him with artists like David Hockney, who shared a similar interest in combining figuration with hard-edged abstraction. What it all means is open to interpretation, but that’s the fun of it, right?