Untitled 1969

This untitled piece by Brice Marden is a quiet, meditative moment rendered with graphite on paper. You can see the process right there on the page, the back-and-forth dance of the artist's hand, building up this luscious, velvety black square. It's not just black, though, is it? Look closely and you'll see the graphite shimmers, catching the light in different ways. There’s a real physicality to it. A smudge at the bottom of the square hints at the artist's touch, like a fingerprint on the void. It reminds me of the minimalist composer Morton Feldman, who was very interested in how an artist can draw the viewer in with quiet and a subdued palette. Marden’s square whispers, inviting us to lose ourselves in its depths. Like a dark mirror reflecting the endless possibilities of art.