Transformation of the Lineaments 1953

This is Leon Golub’s ‘Transformation of the Lineaments’, made with ink on paper. It is an intense dance of black and white, a dark and brooding world. I imagine Golub layering the ink, scraping back, building up, in a constant state of action. It is not just about representation; it’s about the physicality of applying ink and the fight to bring forth an image. You can almost feel Golub's energy here, the push and pull of his hand. Look at the texture. See how it crackles with a kind of pent-up emotion. And what was he thinking when he made it? Was he trying to unearth something, or bury it? His use of the monochrome palette concentrates the intensity and raw expressive force. It reminds me of Goya. Ultimately, Golub reminds us that painting is a conversation across generations. We pick up where others left off. Each mark, a reflection of those that came before, and an invitation to those who will follow. We can respond and interpret, but we can never fully know. And that’s okay.