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j n d (Just Noticeable Difference)

1964
Not on view
In experimental psychology, JND (just-noticeable difference) refers to a concept developed by Ernst Heinrich Weber that describes the minimum amount something affecting the senses needs to change in order for a difference to be perceived. Dorazio evokes this refined sense of perception in the subtle tonal shifts of this shimmering composition. Colored lines run diagonally across the surface, producing a latticelike effect; made with just three colors, the palette expands as lines cross. The print illustrates how Dorazio, in his quest to "paint light," synthesized color theories derived from Italian Divisionists and Futurists (such as Giacomo Balla and Gino Severini) with the all-over compositional structure found in the work of New York School artists.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: j n d (Just Noticeable Difference)
  • Artist: Piero Dorazio (Italian, Rome 1927–2005 Perugia)
  • Date: 1964
  • Medium: Color aquatint
  • Dimensions: Plate: 8 7/8 × 11 3/8 in. (22.6 × 28.9 cm)
    Sheet: 13 5/8 × 18 9/16 in. (34.6 × 47.1 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.599
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Piero Dorazio - j n d (Just Noticeable Difference) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art