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John Cage — Variations I
John Cage

Variations I

A delicate constellation of fine blue ink lines and points drift across the cream-colored wove paper, reflecting John Cage's deep engagement with chance operations and indeterminacy. The spare, geometric markings serve as a graphic score, offering performers a set of open-ended instructions rather than fixed musical notation. Created in 1958, *Variations I* embodies Cage's radical challenge to traditional composition, blurring the boundaries between visual art, music, and pure possibility.

Medium
Blue ink drawing, on wove paper,

🔨 Auction Lot

Evening & Day Editions

April 25, 2016

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About this work

John Cage, Variations I

A delicate constellation of fine blue ink lines and points drift across the cream-colored wove paper, reflecting John Cage's deep engagement with chance operations and indeterminacy. The spare, geometric markings serve as a graphic score, offering performers a set of open-ended instructions rather than fixed musical notation. Created in 1958, *Variations I* embodies Cage's radical challenge to traditional composition, blurring the boundaries between visual art, music, and pure possibility.

Medium
Blue ink drawing, on wove paper,
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

20th Century, Geometric Notation, Male Artist, Experimental Art, Conceptual Art, American Artist, Blue Tones, Abstract Drawing, Avant-Garde Composer, Ink on Paper

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