From the series: The Functional of Spot and Line, No. 22, 1953

About the Work

In February of 1953, Otto Greis – a native of Frankfurt – produced the series "The Functional of Spot and Line" consisting of 75 drawings. In these works, the artist found different ways of having the dot and the line enter into dialogue, always in pursuit of their spatial effect in the process. In each case, he covered a sheet of light-shaded paper with black, red and sulphur-yellow paint, which took on cloudy forms. To these colour zones he added white or red drips, splatters or sweeps. In cases where the water- and oil-based paints repelled one another, these additions formed beads on the surface. Elsewhere, the bright accents stand out from the surface in relief-like manner, introducing a third dimension to the drawing.