Screen c. 20th century

This screen work, by an unknown artist, invites you to consider how art emerges from quiet, repetitive acts. The work is a tight grid of small woven straw. Each individual mark is a testament to the artist's unseen labor, building up the picture plane. I wonder if the process was almost meditative, each crossing and knot a step in a personal, perhaps spiritual, journey. The small imperfections and inconsistencies in the straw, the way it catches the light—it all tells a story. The artist worked in an iterative process, and this reveals something about the nature of the medium itself. When I look at the straw, I also think of other artists, like Agnes Martin, who used grids to create a structure for painting. It's as if artists are constantly in conversation, building on each other's ideas, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what a painting can be. It celebrates the power of expression and ambiguity. It offers a space for multiple readings, allowing for a richer, more layered experience.