Jean-Pierre Hébert (French, 1939–2021) Potamides dans les eaux calmes, 1989
Ink on paper plotter drawing
36 × 36 cm
signed and dated
Collection of Bre Pettis
PION.2023.004
Description
Potamides dans les eaux calmes (1989) showcases Jean-Pierre Hébert's ability to translate mathematical processes into evocative visual poetry. Named after Potamides—aquatic snails that inhabit calm waterways—the work draws on natural patterns of growth and movement, using finely plotted lines to suggest the quiet rhythms of life beneath the water's surface. Through custom-written algorithms and the precision of the pen plotter, Hébert creates a composition that balances geometric order with organic complexity, revealing his enduring fascination with the hidden structures and subtle beauty of the natural world.
Note: the title appears in no documented listing, but French titling is period-consistent for Hébert (Laque Noire 1990, Système Lunaire 1991, Querelle de l'eau et de la terre 1992, all attested at SIGGRAPH). Photograph the verso — his inscriptions are usually precise.
Invoice 230307DAM from Claire Hébert (Jean-Pierre Hébert estate), 7 March 2023, lists "Potamides dans les eaux calmes", 1989, ink on paper — plotter drawing in one uninterrupted line, art 36 x 36 cm, paper 54.5 x 43 cm. The measurement recorded here was the paper size; both are now given. The estate's own invoice attests the title.