From Earth Rubbings 1991

'From Earth Rubbings' is by Herman de Vries. I'm thinking that to make this the artist was really present, bending down to the earth and pressing the paper to the ground. Can you imagine the artist rubbing the earth onto the paper? I can feel the dirt, or soil, or sand. It has a definite color, this earth, a kind of ochre, sandy brown. It makes me wonder about the terrain and the vegetation. It also makes me think about other artists who have been interested in landscape and the land, like Robert Smithson. There is something in the repeated gesture of the marks that is really comforting, like a steady rhythm. This way of seeing echoes across generations, it makes me feel connected. It feels like this piece knows that art isn't just about making something new, it's about keeping the conversation going. It’s about adding your voice to a chorus of voices.