Josef Albers became one of the most influential figures of the 20th century avant-garde, with his systematic presentation of spatial ambivalence and paradox, made through endless variations on geometric themes and juxtapositions of colour in the format of rectangle and square. He is best known by these later works, but earlier works, like this lithograph - one of a group of four made in 1939 - suggest he was energetically experimenting with form and a technique of 'drawing' of a more spontaneous nature, which may relate to the surrealist technique of automatic writing. At this time Albers was teaching at Black Mountain College in Carolina, but also making trips to Mexico, which he found very inspiring.