The Pillars 1939

Abe Blashko made "The Pillars" using graphite on paper. The figures emerge from the paper through many tiny marks, slowly building to reveal the composition. I like to imagine Blashko rubbing the graphite into the paper, layer upon layer. The artist coaxes these two figures into being: a gent in a suit and a lady behind him. They have imposing faces, and they are walking amongst the pillars, in front of the hotel. I wonder what’s going on; are they going in, or have they just come out? As a painter, I am always drawn to the rhythm and density of mark-making. See how the artist has worked the graphite in various directions to suggest the texture of the suit, the hair, and the buildings? Artists like Blashko are in constant dialogue, building on the past to create something new. Every mark carries a thought, a feeling, an intention. It invites us to bring our own thoughts, and our own feelings, to the conversation.