Untitled (Abstraction) 1948

This untitled abstraction was made by James Budd Dixon sometime in the mid-20th century. It’s made with some kind of dark ink, maybe crayon. It looks like Dixon was searching, feeling his way through these figures. The marks are so confident yet somehow open. I can see him experimenting here, allowing these almost figurative abstract forms to emerge like characters from a collective dream. Are they human? Are they totems? Are they plants? I can imagine the artist’s hand moving swiftly across the paper, each stroke building upon the last, creating a dynamic interplay between the marks and the white space. The scratchy texture reminds me of Cy Twombly's drawings, and the surreal creatures remind me of the work of Paul Klee or Joan Miró. Artists are always talking to each other. I love this kind of raw, unfiltered expression; there’s a lovely openness and honesty. It’s like he’s inviting you into his mind, letting you see the world through his eyes.