Untitled from The Test of the Title (Le Test du titre) 1966

This untitled print by Pierre Alechinsky from the series “The Test of the Title,” is all about the energy of the line, a testament to how marks can think. There’s a whole language being spoken here with these squiggles, these little face-like forms floating in their square boxes. It’s almost like a comic strip, or a set of visual notes, each mark feels free and uninhibited. I think of Cy Twombly, another artist who really understood how to let a line breathe on the page. The marks feel intimate, almost like a stream of consciousness. Look closely and you'll see Alechinsky isn’t trying to trick you into thinking it’s anything other than what it is: ink on paper, a record of a gesture. The color is thin and transparent, the process laid bare. There’s a beautiful freedom here, a willingness to embrace imperfection, and to let the hand lead the way. That's what artmaking is all about!