Untitled 1951

This untitled work on paper was made by Seymour Lipton, a sculptor, in the middle of the last century. Look at how Lipton coaxes those grey marks, coaxing shapes from the void, the image emerging through touch and pressure. I can imagine him in his studio, perhaps listening to music, making marks, and then pausing, searching... wondering where the image wants to go. The build-up of layered marks creates this sense of volume and depth on a flat surface; the shading feels both abstract and architectural. I particularly like the way the marks become more dense and concentrated in some areas. There's a beautiful contrast between the tightly worked areas and the looser, more gestural lines. There's something very immediate and direct about Lipton's drawing, a kind of intimate exploration of form. It reminds me of other sculptors' drawings, like Henry Moore, where the act of drawing becomes a way of thinking through space and volume, and a way of charting a creative path. Ultimately, it's a reminder that artists are in an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.