This small, intimate work foregrounds “mutation” as both subject and method. It began with a vertical line of squares and with slight changes on the vertical axis, the pattern was transformed into an open column of triangles at the end. Overall, the piece expresses a noticeable change in character, appearance, function or condition on a 2-dimensional plane; a metamorphosis that adds a perceptual dynamic to the black-and-white geometries.
The ink marks and modulated forms suggest biological or cellular processes in flux, condensing ideas of growth, instability, and transformation into its modest horizontal format. Relatively small in size, the piece’s scale encourages viewers to track subtle shifts of contour and density. Metaphorically, the artwork references artistic process.
As the title implies, each mark participates in an ongoing sequence of variations rather presenting a fixed, repeatable pattern. It can be seen as how quite minimal changes can evoke complex systems of change. My Penrose Tiling paintings offer a compelling counterpoint.
For example, Penrose Tiling #1 (2013) and Penrose Tiling #2 (2015) are more expansive and mathematically structured. When these tessellations are coupled with the Mutation Study #1 highlighted on this page, we see how differently geometric paintings that shift scale, medium, color, and metaphor alter how the eye perceives and responds to various ways of presenting relationships. In this comparison the large-scale non-periodic tilings with coloration are strikingly unlike the small-scale black-and-white study of biological processes and perceptual mutation.
In terms of my own process, it is also noteworthy that less obvious influences such as Paul Cézanne’s oeuvre contributed to my intuitive conceptualization process and thus to the finished piece. As I have written, Cézanne’s work serves as a model for how paintings can probe perception over time. His work also emphasizes the impact of incremental change within a single artist’s oeuvre.
Thus, Cézanne’s use of patterning and his development of revolutionary techniques that activated the visual space perceptually offer an historical influence that shows how repeated structures (such as his multiple Mont Sainte-Victoire paintings ) and patterned brushstrokes can record small perceptual differences and evolving stages of a practice rather than evoking static sameness and crystallization.
Mutation Study #1 touches on both of these lines. Its perceptual presentation tracks my ongoing interest in pattern and perception. It also showcases an interest in how evocation geometric patterns can communicate visually.
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Artist: Amy Ione
Title: Mutation Study #1
Date: 2018
Medium: Ink drawing on paper
Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 (unframed)
Signed
Catalog Number: 28823