8.7.58 1958

Julius Bissier made this little painting, 8.7.58, with ink and brush in 1958. The dominant colours are simple, neutral tones: black, white, and some soft browns. Looking at these marks, I imagine the artist holding his breath, steadying his hand, and then, in a rush, making a decisive stroke. Did he pause, reflect, and then add another element, or was it a continuous dance of ink and brush? I see a dark shape like a bottle, or is it a shadow? Then, a cluster of strokes that could be anything—foliage, smoke, or just the memory of a thing. And those slender, almost fragile lines suggesting a figure, a stand, something precarious and poised. Bissier, with his minimalist approach, reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, in the way he finds so much with so little. Both artists knew that a single line, a carefully placed mark, could carry the weight of a whole world. It shows how painting is a conversation across time, each artist adding their voice to the chorus.