Automatic Drawing 1924

André Masson made this automatic drawing using ink on paper, and I can only imagine what it might have felt like for him. Masson has let his hand go wild, letting these marks come out from somewhere deep, like some kind of psychic volcano. What's so interesting is that this approach relinquishes conscious control, and taps into the unconscious, or the subconscious, or even the collective consciousness. I can imagine Masson letting his hand hover just above the surface of the paper, hardly touching at all, just letting the ink find its way. It’s a very specific and intentional kind of mark-making. The push-pull of intention and intuition makes a fascinating site of inquiry for the viewer. It has a kinship with the later work of other artists like Cy Twombly, who also let their gestures suggest a certain meaning, but kept the meaning ambiguous. The history of painting has always involved this sort of dialogue; each generation picking up the thread from the last and making it their own.