Cattle Brand c. 1936

J. Henry Marley made this drawing of a cattle brand, and I can imagine the ink being dragged deliberately across the surface of the page. The shapes are simple, almost like a child's drawing – a roof shape, and then broken, curvaceous forms. It feels like a logo or sign that means something to the artist. It’s as if the artist had a very specific intention in mind, but also wanted to let the material have its say, too. I am thinking about the conversation he might have had with other artists working with symbols and signs, like Agnes Martin or Cy Twombly. In the end, artists are always in dialogue, borrowing and riffing on each other’s ideas. Making art becomes like a form of call and response, echoing across time and space.