Untitled (Cocktail Party) 1953

This sheet, “Untitled (Cocktail Party),” was made by Saul Steinberg, but we don’t know when. Look at the scratchy charcoal lines depicting a room full of party-goers with drinks in their hands. I wonder what it might have been like to watch Steinberg draw, as he constructed the whole scene with just a few gestural strokes. I feel like he’s capturing something true about social gatherings, the way people stand around, and the kinds of conversations they have. What I like about this work is that it’s rendered so simply, yet it implies a whole world of social dynamics. The details he includes, like the plaid suit, the lampshade, and the framed artwork on the wall, add depth. Like Steinberg, I work intuitively, trying to capture a feeling or an idea through simple marks. I think this piece reflects the ongoing conversation artists have across time, where we inspire one another to see the world in new ways. The uncertainty in the lines reflects the messy ambiguity of human interactions.