Floating Line Drawing (Antenna) 2010

Jill Baroff made this intriguing print, "Floating Line Drawing (Antenna)," using what looks like red ink on a square of paper. The way the ink sits on the surface suggests a hands-on, almost playful process. The texture isn't concealed; you can see the individual marks and how the ink pools in some areas, and fades in others. It’s like a dance between intention and chance, where the material itself has a say in the final form. That coiled form, built from parallel lines, is it an antenna reaching out? Or maybe it’s about the physicality of drawing, a record of movement and pressure. The color, that assertive red, pops against the creamy paper, creating a stark contrast that pulls you in. It reminds me a bit of some of Brice Marden's calligraphic paintings, in the sense that both Baroff and Marden explore the beauty of simple gestures and the potential for mark-making to communicate complex ideas. Ultimately, it’s up to us to decide what it means, and that’s the beauty of art, isn’t it?