Perspective Correction - My Studio II, 3: Square with Cross on Floor 1969

Jan Dibbets made this photograph, “Perspective Correction - My Studio II, 3: Square with Cross on Floor,” at some point in the late 60s or early 70s, and it's all about playing with how we see. The photo shows a simple room, empty except for a square grid drawn on the floor. The grid is so clearly artificial. It's this graphic, flat shape sitting in a real, receding space; it messes with our sense of depth and perspective. The push and pull between flatness and depth, real and artificial, is really exciting. It makes you question what is real and what is constructed. I find myself thinking of artists like Sol LeWitt, who also used geometric forms to explore systems and ideas. Like LeWitt, Dibbets turns something simple into a thought-provoking puzzle. It is this ongoing conversation about how we perceive the world and the different ways an artist can mess with our expectations.