Work Sheet 1948

Stanley William Hayter made this piece called 'Work Sheet' in pen, ink, and crayon. It's all about process, like the artist is thinking out loud on the page. There's this great push and pull between chaos and control. The lines are loose, like a doodle, but they’re also precise, creating these strange, almost-figures. See how Hayter uses short, rhythmic marks to build up the forms, how he balances the blacks against the white of the page? Then there's that pop of yellow crayon, like a little sun or a burst of energy. It's like the whole thing is about the joy of making marks, about trying things out. Hayter reminds me a little bit of Picasso, or maybe even Joan Miró, with those biomorphic shapes. But he's got his own thing going on, this real sense of movement and energy. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time.