Untitled (Circular) 1989

Eve Aschheim made this Untitled work using graphite and gouache on paper. I see a whirlwind of gray marks and translucent white lines. It looks as though Aschheim was trying to find a way to turn something two-dimensional into something that swirls and moves. I can imagine her in the studio, lost in mark-making, starting and stopping, adding and subtracting. I am struck by the push and pull between the controlled, deliberate white marks, and the wilder, more chaotic graphite underneath. It’s almost like two different artists are in conversation. The circular form is so simple, yet the way it’s rendered is complex and layered. There is a fragility to it, as though it could all unravel at any moment. It reminds me of Brice Marden’s linear abstractions and the way he builds up layers of lines to create depth and space. Artists are always in dialogue with each other, aren't they? Each one riffing on the ideas of the ones who came before. Painting is a way of thinking through doing. A way of exploring the world through touch, color, and gesture.