Untitled c. 1953 - 1991

This etching, by Dorothy Dehner, is an untitled piece that presents us with something of a puzzle. It's all about line – elegant, spare, and yet surprisingly evocative. Looking closely, you can see how the physical act of etching plays a big part. The lines aren't perfectly uniform; there's a slight scratchiness that gives it a handmade feel. It's like witnessing the artist's hand moving across the plate. Notice the way the lines intersect, forming these geometric shapes, kind of like a Cubist collage. There's a rhythm, a visual dance happening on the surface. The sparse colour seems almost incidental, like a blush rising to the surface of the paper. Dehner was part of the New York art scene, alongside people like David Smith, her husband, and Mark Rothko. You can see some similarities with their work, a shared interest in abstraction and emotional expression. But Dehner has her own distinct voice, a quiet, yet powerful presence. Her work invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to find our own meaning in the spaces between the lines.