Sometimes I drink to forget art 1984

Ben made this drawing titled ‘Sometimes I drink to forget art’ in 1989, with ink on paper. It’s a bold, simple piece, the kind that makes you think, "Hey, I could do that!" But there's a real honesty in its directness. The bright yellow figure, outlined in black, against the stark white paper, it's all so raw and immediate. You can almost feel Ben making each mark, each line, as if he's just letting it all out, no fuss, no frills. The brushstrokes in the yellow areas are visible, giving the surface a tactile quality. It’s like the piece is inviting you to engage with the process of its making. The phrase itself, scrawled in a childlike script, it's funny, but also a little sad, a little self-deprecating. It's like the artist is admitting that sometimes, even art gets to be too much, and a drink can be a good escape. It reminds me of Raymond Pettibon's work, both have this great blend of humor and melancholy, a sort of punk rock attitude towards artmaking. What this piece is saying about art, and life, is open to interpretation.