Circle Study #33 1972

Curator: Alright, next up, we have "Circle Study #33", a sketch dating back to 1972, conjured from the mind and hand of Benny Andrews. Editor: My first thought? It’s a whimsical fever dream, a topsy-turvy domestic space rendered in deceptively simple lines. There’s a strange warmth to this even though it feels incomplete, somehow fragile. Curator: Indeed, Andrews primarily worked with ink and pencil here, crafting a space that seems both familiar and entirely alien. I mean, that bed becomes a stage for something unexpected. What catches your eye structurally? Editor: The repetition, obviously. The curves and circular motifs throughout create a disorienting harmony, even within this contained scene. Look at how the ropes mirror the bedpost ornaments and echo that bulbous stove. It's a playful, slightly unhinged visual echo. I would venture a guess that Andrews has an experimental, yet deeply controlled approach to his mark-making in this one. Curator: He really lets the line do all the work, doesn't he? We see Andrews employing this sort of playful narrative throughout much of his sketchbook pieces. He's weaving stories out of shapes and objects. How do you read the space? The relationship of these objects... is this a refuge? A trap? Editor: It's interesting. It feels enclosed, intimate, almost claustrophobic with that heavy blanket draped above... the stove sitting smack dab on the bed… a potential danger so close to comfort. Those thick lines seem to hold things together, though at any moment, I wouldn't be surprised if that oddball contraption tips off its thin little legs. The perspective messes with your sense of scale and placement. Curator: Right, and there's a raw, honest quality to a sketchbook piece. You see the artist's mind at work, unedited. There’s so much invention happening right before our very eyes. So, overall... what does this one offer us, standing here with it now? Editor: Andrews is sharing something truly intimate – a snapshot of thought, really, and transforming something mundane like a room into this evocative landscape. He really sets us up to write our own narratives inside its quirky confines. Curator: I couldn't agree more. A peek into an alternate reality all contained within the subtle scratches of a line.