The thin lines between the stones in a wall are nothing and everything, in the same way a 'joint' can be defined as either a 'joining' or a 'separation'. This is the beauty of definition. This grasping of ‘definition’ is essential to our seeing anything at all.
When any area of interest is carefully outlined, it often produces a pleasing aesthetic quality.
Some of the paintings by the Group of Seven make use of this same principle. The shapes of trees and branches are often traced with thin ribbons of bright colour showing off the vibrancy of their contour, as if to suggest nature is perceived more perfectly when it is seen as being ‘held together’ by outlines.
The shapes jump out of the canvas, while at the same time nestle into each other perfectly.
Is it the darker outlined pattern in a dry stone wall that we pay attention to or the stones themselves?
