
“… the ‘Butterflies’ are fairly planned out. They’re still intuitive, but I generally know where they’re going. It’s a different kind of freedom, a different kind of expressionism. It’s personal without being overly personal.” Mark Grotjahn, 2007.
Mark Grotjahn's intricate colored pencil drawing on Strathmore 400 Bristol paper belongs to his celebrated "Butterfly" series, in which radiating lines fan outward from multiple vanishing points to create a symmetrical, wing-like composition. The work demonstrates Grotjahn's meticulous yet expressive mark-making, as densely layered colored pencil strokes build a vibrating field of color and geometry. Balancing careful planning with intuitive decision-making, the piece reflects Grotjahn's distinctive approach to abstraction — one that is deeply personal while remaining formally disciplined.
- Medium
- colored pencil on Strathmore 400 Bristol paper
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Contemporary Art Day Sale
November 14, 2014
More by Mark Grotjahn
Spotted works by Mark Grotjahn
Artists in conversation

Frank Stella
American · b. 1936

Stella's geometric abstractions similarly employ radiating lines and symmetrical compositions that fan outward from central points, creating visually vibrating fields of color with meticulous planning. His works on paper especially share Grotjahn's balance of controlled geometry and expressive energy within abstract frameworks.

Fred Tomaselli
American · b. 1956

Tomaselli creates densely layered works on paper with radial and symmetrical compositions that produce a meditative yet intensely visual effect, closely mirroring Grotjahn's butterfly series in their hypnotic patterning and warm color saturation. Both artists build complexity through repetitive mark making that feels simultaneously planned and intuitive.

Tauba Auerbach
American · b. 1981

Auerbach's works explore geometric abstraction through densely built linear patterns and color fields that share Grotjahn's controlled expressionism and meditative quality. Her meticulous mark making on paper generates a similar sense of optical vibration and structural symmetry rooted in repeated directional lines.


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