Untitled [verso] c. 1940s

Judith Rothschild made this untitled drawing, probably in the mid twentieth century, with ink on paper. The lines feel exploratory, searching for a form, and the interesting thing about lines is that they immediately create shapes, even if you weren’t planning to. There’s a real material presence here. The paper is stained and aged, a little torn on the edges. I love the way the ink sits on the surface, slightly raised. Notice how the lines vary in thickness, some are bolder, more assertive, and others are tentative, almost disappearing. See that little square, top left? It’s like a painting within a painting, a window onto another world. Rothschild’s use of line reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, who also used simple marks to create complex, meditative spaces. And like Martin's work, this drawing invites us to slow down, to really look, and to find our own meaning in its subtle gestures.