Textural Transcription I (Transcription texturologique I)
Jean Dubuffet
French, 1901–1985
1958
An intricate ink drawing by Jean Dubuffet that obsessively transcribes surface textures into a field of irregular cells and looping lines, turning everyday material marks into an abstract visual language.
It reads like an extreme close-up — thousands of pebble-like black marks and meandering veins packed tightly across the sheet, with subtle shifts in density that make the surface feel simultaneously organic and topographical.
Part of Dubuffet’s 'texturological' experiments, this work rejects polished illusion in favor of rough, repetitive mark-making, helping to refocus postwar art on materiality, vernacular surfaces, and anti‑elitist forms of expression.
Medium
Ink on paper on board
Dimensions
9 x 14 1/4" (22.9 x 36.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Joan and Lester Avnet Collection
Accession
70.1978
Palette
Exhibitions
