Cattle Brand c. 1936

This is J. Henry Marley’s 'Cattle Brand', made with ink on paper, and I think it’s fascinating. Look how the shapes, made of simple black lines, come together to form something so direct and communicative. The texture created by the ink – it’s not exactly smooth, is it? – gives a real sense of the artist’s hand, the movement and decisions involved in its making. The way the ink pools slightly at the curves of the lower mark, it's almost like watching the line breathe. That sinuous line at the bottom could be water, or a road, or maybe it's just a flourish. This piece is a great reminder that art doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be a symbol, a gesture, a mark, repeated over and over. It reminds me a little bit of some of Agnes Martin's simpler line drawings, the way they are so quiet and yet so full of intention. In the end, it's the dialogue between simplicity and intention that makes this so appealing.