Itschak
de Lange
Masses and lines in Space
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Masses and Lines in Space 1980-1981
One of the earlier series I created during my long stay in Holland, turned out to contain the seeds of my artistic preoccupation in years to come: the tensions and associations between contrasts. In this case, it is the tension between linear
masses that inform the visual dialogues of contrasts. Divergences between near
and far; dense and airy; darkness and light; concealed and exposed; static and energetic. The visual trigger for this series were the vast fields of reeds in
the Dutch marshlands, which I explored through drawings, etchings, prints,
lithographs and paintings.
Later on, I added firm, unwavering bodies to the dense mass of lines.
In my later touring of the Dutch countryside, I came across structures that corresponded visually to the stable bodies I added to these works; but are charged with heavy, personal, cultural and historical connotations. This discovery lead to the next series I embarked on, "Bunkers", and plays a central role in various forms, in my work since then.