Dancing People 1989

Se-Ok Suh's 'Dancing People' is an ink painting on paper, the date of which is unknown. Look at how Suh repeats simple brushstrokes to create these figures, as if he's building a community out of marks. It really speaks to artmaking as a process of accumulation and rhythm. The ink varies from dense black to watery grey, pooling in some areas and feathering out in others. Notice how the lines start thick then trail off, conveying movement. Each figure has these loop-like heads with vertical lines for bodies, sometimes solid, sometimes broken. The negative space is just as important; it lets each figure breathe. This one figure, fourth from the left, the ink bleeds out at the top, making it seem almost like a thought bubble. Suh's work reminds me a little of Henri Michaux's abstract figures, where the process of drawing becomes a way of exploring the human condition. It's about embracing the beauty of imperfection, and the endless possibilities of a simple line.