Antoni Tàpies suffered a succession of illnesses as a young person. During many hours of convalescence the artist reexamined his family’s Catholic faith and searched for meaning in his life through other world religions and philosophies. Many of Tàpies’ works combine common materials, such as cardboard, with graffiti-like forms and letters, which echo religious symbols. One can imagine the artist is physically deconstructing these symbols. For instance, in this work, Untitled, an unfolded cardboard box-like shape brings to mind an X or T. This form might reference a cross, an X marking a wrong answer, the signature of an illiterate person, a marking of the spot, or the artist’s own initial. The artist relished its ambiguity.