Network of Stoppages

Network of Stoppages, created by Marcel Duchamp in 1914, is a significant oil and pencil work on canvas that documents the artist’s radical experimentation with non-traditional systems of measurement. Executed during his crucial pre-war period in Paris, 1914, this piece marks Duchamp’s decisive departure from retinal art towards a process-oriented, conceptual practice. The canvas serves as a culmination and mapping of the concepts explored in his nearly simultaneous project, Three Standard Stoppages (1913-14).

To derive the compositional elements visible here, Duchamp employed a unique procedure of chance, physically dropping three one-meter threads from a height of one meter onto separate prepared surfaces. The resulting, arbitrarily formed curves were then transferred to wooden slats, which served as templates for generating the lines seen in this painting. The methodology deliberately introduced irrationality into the scientific standards of precise measurement, challenging the accepted foundations of geometry and the historic reliance on Euclidean systems.

The superimposed, complex “network” of lines fundamentally questions the role of the artist’s hand and intentionality in creation. The use of traditional oil paint provides a subtle surface onto which the precise, diagrammatic pencil lines are imposed, creating a tension between traditional technique and avant-garde conceptual mapping. The resulting image is less a depiction than it is a plan, illustrating Duchamp’s embrace of mechanical drawing over expressive brushwork.

Although initially associated with European movements, Duchamp later became a foundational American figure whose profound influence on conceptual art remains unparalleled. This work is pivotal for understanding his shift toward the Ready-made philosophy, setting the stage for masterpieces such as The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. The painting is recognized globally for its historical significance and is proudly held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. While this specific artwork remains protected, many of Duchamp's later explorations are frequently reproduced as high-quality prints, particularly those works that have entered the public domain.