CATSYNTH

Consider this image for a moment.

It’s something one may encounter in passing, as part of the design of a larger object. Or it could be a work of art standing on its own. The “is it art?” question is unimportant. What is important is to take time to observe it on its own.

We have two basic shapes. A small circle inside a larger square. The circle is off-center. It makes the white space inside the square seem larger than it would be if the circle were centered, even though the area of the space is exactly the same.

What makes this so captivating, at least to me? It is the simplicity, it’s just enough, and not too much, to arrest the mind and focus on the geometric components. It could be a word in a language I don’t understand. It could also be music, either mostly silence or mostly a continuous, nearly pure tone.

Once one starts looking for these simple components, they can be found anywhere. This was a Wordless Wednesday from last year:

Once again, the relative emptiness other than the sphere and cube holds the focus, and indeed works as an object for a contemplation meditation. The texture of the sphere and the bit of shmutz on the surface of the cube provide one level of additional qualities to observe.

So if one were to add another single object either to the two-dimensional illustration or the three-dimensional photo, what would it be? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Also on Substack]