Basket, Table, Door, Window, Mirror, Rug #32 1974

Richard Artschwager made this line drawing, Basket, Table, Door, Window, Mirror, Rug #32, on paper in 1974. It’s all in the title, isn’t it? I love how Artschwager stacks these mundane objects one on top of the other, basket, table, door, window, mirror, rug, and turns them into a totemic column. Did he draw them from life, or from memory? How did he decide to make this particular stack? Look at the subtle variations in the weight of the lines, how some are darker and thicker, others lighter and more tentative. It’s like he’s feeling his way through the forms, trying to capture their essence with a minimum of fuss. It reminds me a little of Guston’s late work, or maybe even some of the early minimalists. You get the sense Artschwager is always experimenting, always pushing the boundaries of what a drawing can be. He's in conversation with art history, but also with the world around him, transforming everyday objects into something strange and beautiful.