Study for or after Legs of a Walking Ball 1965

Eva Hesse made this study for ‘Legs of a Walking Ball’ on paper with ink and watercolor, but we don’t know exactly when. You can see that the making of this piece was really about process. The lines create a sense of movement, as if the artwork itself is in motion. The materiality here is so compelling. The ink lines are precise, but the watercolor washes are more fluid and unpredictable. I’m drawn to the central form, the big pale-brown oval made of lines, it feels like a tightly wound spring ready to uncoil. The combination of these contrasting elements creates a dynamic tension that keeps our eyes moving around the composition. It’s as though Hesse is inviting us to witness the evolution of an idea, the transformation of a sketch into a fully realized form. Thinking about the conversation that artists have across time, I’m reminded of Francis Picabia’s mechanical drawings, they share a similar sense of playful, inventive energy. This work for me embraces the beauty of ambiguity, where fixed ideas dissolve, and multiple interpretations are not only possible, but welcome.