Pushed-Up Ink 1964

Lee Ufan made "Pushed-Up Ink" with, well, ink, and I love how immediate it feels. The overall effect is mesmerizing, almost meditative. Up close, the surface is a topographical map of dark, swollen marks. You can almost feel the artist's hand pressing down, releasing the ink in these controlled bursts. Some marks are thick and opaque, others thinner, revealing the canvas beneath. There's a real tension between control and chance, a dance between intention and accident that makes the piece so compelling. It's not just about the image, but about the physical act of making, the pushing, the lifting, the breathing. It reminds me a bit of Lucio Fontana's slashes, but instead of cutting into the canvas, Ufan builds up, creating a kind of reverse relief. Both artists, though, are playing with the idea of surface and depth, presence and absence. Art isn't about answers, it's about the questions we ask along the way.