Ibaye 1950

Wifredo Lam made "Ibaye", a drawing, with what seems like ink or charcoal, and it’s all about the push and pull between dark and light, figure and ground. The greyscale palette makes you focus on the forms, and Lam's marks build depth and mystery, like a dreamscape. He uses these graphic floral shapes against the very dark background to make a striking contrast. Check out how the white areas are so precise, while the darker areas around the figure have a softer edge, as though smudged by hand. There's an interesting relationship to Picasso here, not just in the abstraction, but in the way that he's referencing his cultural heritage, and making it something new. The artwork invites us to reconsider how we see the world. It suggests that art is more about questions than answers.