Circular Progression
1996
A meticulous arrangement of concentric and repeating circular forms rendered in watercolour, Biro, and pencil on paper, reflecting Mike Kelley's fascination with systems, repetition, and the intersection of the handmade with mechanical logic. The layering of media creates a subtle tension between the fluid washes of colour and the precise, obsessive linework characteristic of Kelley's drawing practice. The work evokes themes of ritual and compulsion, suggesting an underlying psychological dimension beneath its seemingly ordered surface.
- Medium
- watercolour, Biro and pencil on paper
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale
March 9, 2018
Artists in conversation
Sol LeWitt
American · b. 1928
LeWitt's systematic drawings on paper share the same obsessive repetition of geometric forms and circular progressions, using pencil and ink to build dense layered structures that balance conceptual logic with handmade execution.
Raymond Pettibon
American · b. 1957
Pettibon works extensively in Biro, ink, and watercolour on paper with a similarly compulsive and psychological intensity, producing works on paper that blend obsessive linework with fluid washes in a distinctly American conceptual drawing tradition closely aligned with Kelley's milieu.
Hilma af Klint
Swedish · b. 1862
Af Klint's works on paper featuring concentric circular and spiral forms rendered with meticulous repetition and muted watercolour tones share the ritualistic and systematic compositional logic evident in this specific piece, evoking similar themes of compulsion and hidden psychological meaning.
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