Untitled 1961

Burgoyne Diller made this untitled drawing using colored pencil on paper. Just look at the layers of graphite, laid down in such a way that you can almost feel the push and pull of the artist’s hand. It’s about process. There's something so tender and uncertain about the build-up of marks here. The texture of the paper is so present and the color feels very grounded, like something you would find in the city. The way the blocks of color sit within the grey outer space makes you feel like you are looking at a building within a cloud. Check out the marks in the top right corner. It almost looks like the artist got bored and started to doodle, and that just makes this piece even more human. For me, Diller’s work has the same kind of energy and curiosity that you find in the work of Forrest Bess. Both artists are interested in the idea of art as a form of ongoing experimentation and discovery, where the final product is less important than the process of getting there.