Dorothea Rockburne has described paper as having “terrific importance” to her work: “I came to realize that a piece of paper is a metaphysical object. You write on it, you draw on it, you fold it.” For Rockburne, paper is not merely a surface for drawing but an active material whose inherent qualities shape the form of the artwork. Another subject which has deeply influenced Rockburne’s art practice since the early 1950s, when she studied at Black Mountain College, is Mathematics. She encountered mathematician Max Dehn at the college, whose teachings on harmonic intervals, set theory and topology had a profound impact on her. His teachings on the underlying geometries in nature and art continue to resonate in her work decades later.

These philosophies are evident in her Inverse Drawings, where the shape and orientation of the paper play a significant role in the overall geometry of the piece. The paper’s form seems to support and perhaps even inspire the pen drawing on it, embodying her deep exploration into the natural geometry inherent in each sheet.