Untitled (vapor drawing) 1978

Larry Bell made this Vapor Drawing sometime in 1978, with what I'm guessing is some kind of vapor deposition technique on paper. I love how Bell brings this sense of controlled chance into the process. It's a structured idea, executed with an awareness of all the things you can’t control. Looking at this drawing, I'm really drawn to how the gradients of color almost seem to float in the air. It's as if the darks and lights are not fixed, but constantly shifting. It makes me think about the difference between a flat surface and an illusory depth. Do you see the way the lighter edges of the geometric shapes contrast with the smoky gradients around them? It's like a dance between form and formlessness, between the known and the unknown. Bell reminds me a little of Robert Irwin, in the way they both work at the edge of perception, with the kind of ephemeral materials that don't sit still.