(Vertical forms at left and right with criss-cross diagonal beams at center) 1974

Connie Benham created this artwork, "Vertical forms at left and right with criss-cross diagonal beams at center," employing monochromatic shades to depict a complex architectural framework. At first glance, the arrangement of beams may resemble a cage or prison, evoking feelings of confinement and constraint. However, in other contexts, similar geometric patterns represent order, construction, and the very foundations of society, such as the scaffolding employed in Renaissance cathedral building. Consider the recurring motif of grids in early Christian art, symbolizing spiritual order, which we also see later in Cubist paintings fragmenting reality into intersecting lines. Here, this grid is a framework for something else, and the subconscious mind recognizes it as both freedom and imprisonment. This contrast is a powerful force that engages viewers on a deep, subconscious level. As time passes, this framework is transformed, demonstrating the non-linear, cyclical progression of symbols, reappearing and evolving to take on new meanings.