Linn Meyers. “at the time being,” Feb. 11-Aug. 22, 2010. Part of Intersections at The Phillips Collection. Photo by Charles Mahorney.

The Phillips Collection is currently hosting a series it calls Intersections, in which the work of several contemporary artists was commissioned to produce work in dialogue with one of the artists in the museum’s general collection. Among these is Washington resident Linn Meyers‘ intricate wall drawing at the time being. The piece’s dense web of lines can be seen through archways behind Van Gogh’s The Road Menders (1889), and echo Van Gogh’s distinctive brushstroke — and perhaps a bit of his mad drive. The drawing took two weeks of intense concentration to complete, and while the work may be seen as pleasantly decorative, if you stare at it long enough, you can imagine being immersed in the lines as if immersed in the brushstroke of the Dutch master himself. Just try not to imagine you are living inside Wheat Field with Crows (1890), as iconic a picture of mental disorder as has ever graced a museum.

A docent told DCist that children gravitate towards Meyers’ work, enthralled by the pulsing wall whose web of lines make it seem it is falling away from you. “My work relies on the beauty of imperfection. I often use the word slippage to describe this,” Meyers says, and it is the imperfection of her lines and this slippage that gives her lines a character beyond mere optical illusion.

Meyers’ drawing will be painted over after August 22. Meyers embraces the work’s ephemeral nature and hopes this will “challenge the viewer to think about the fleeting nature of these experiences and to recognize the more lasting nature of the effect these experiences might have on us.” You can view an installation video of the work here.

Meyers was kind enough to talk to DCist about her work.