Calligraphy 1969

Ulfert Wilke created this abstract black ink drawing on paper, titled "Calligraphy." Look at the density of these interlocking calligraphic marks. It’s so personal, like a private language. I can imagine Wilke's hand dancing across the page, each stroke a new possibility, building and responding to the previous one. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s handwriting drawings, but with a more formal, architectural feel. I wonder if he was thinking about language, or just letting the marks lead him? It's like he's feeling his way through the composition, working out his feelings in the moment. There is so much deliberation. Artists are constantly having conversations with one another across time. I can imagine him in his studio, wrestling with line and form, in an ongoing conversation with other painters. This piece is so intimate and open, inviting us into a space of contemplation.