Focus II 1980

Brice Marden made this intaglio print, Focus II, as part of an edition. It’s a tight little ship of lines encased in a thick border, like a window you look through. Marden is known for layering, and I think this piece is no different. I’m imagining him working on the plate with a tool in his hand, digging into the metal, maybe changing his mind, going over it again. Like, he wanted to see how much he could build up and still hold the space together. You know? For me, the best paintings and prints are ones that allow for a kind of openness, where the feeling comes not just from the image, but from how the thing was made. Marden’s work makes me want to get back in the studio to experiment myself, not to copy, but because he’s pushing the language of painting. That's how we keep the conversation alive.