Untitled (Automatism) 1967

Here is an ink drawing on paper by Robert Motherwell titled ‘Automatism.’ What a luxury, to let the hand lead the way. I can imagine Motherwell in his studio, methodically dipping his brush in ink, testing how the paint might pool and drip. There's a horizontal line holding the bottom, like land, and above, a kind of gestural experiment, a non-representational mark full of feeling. Motherwell wanted to unlock the subconscious, like the Surrealists. The material aspects are so important here—the slickness of the ink, the way it stains the paper. Each splash and splatter tells a story, a moment of chance and intention combined. It’s about the artist’s presence in the moment, the here and now. It’s like artists are constantly responding to each other, in an ongoing conversation of form. I feel like painting is all about that dialogue between artists across time, embracing uncertainty and multiple meanings.