The culmination of a renowned series of monotypes, Variantes involved Schendel spreading thin
Japanese rice paper over a smooth surface and marking the back with a sharp
instrument. Friction between the tool and the paper produced delicate, fragile
lines, seemingly floating in space. She pressed and suspended each impression
between sheets of acrylic, allowing it to be seen from both sides. Suggestive of
writing, the monotypes were, for Schendel, vehicles of light, transparency, and
texture.