This drawing by Linné D. comes out of the ol’ drapery-with-sphere in a still life setup.
We again have the dynamic of the sphere and the zig-zag discussed in the previous post. Anyone who followed that discussion can spot it here immediately, though here the zig-zag does not trace the hem of the drapery. Here the zig-zag is on its own.
This drawing presupposes a new way of seeing. It does not pretend to document any of the things piled on a table in a drawing class. The artist’s mind was certainly inspired by what he saw, but he took the leap into abstraction. And a leap it is. He didn’t “abstract” the drapery, finding it’s “essence.” This drawing is not about drapery at all, it seems to me. It’s about the play of forms on a page.
We have a repetition of shapes, two of them indicated here in green. The sphere commands the center and all around it are pointing shapes, some in, some out. Numbers 1 and 4 point out, 3 points in, the negative space under 3 points up, 2 points out and down. These shapes push and invade the adjacent space. All these pointing shapes agitate the atmosphere around our serene, self-centered sphere. But at the same time the agitation seems harmonious due to the echoing of the shapes. Quite a feat! The most astonishing thing about this page, however, is its daring unbalance. Most of the pencil work is on the left side, indicated by the rectangle at #6. That’s where we have the density that comes from shading and, in fact, the mighty sphere. What’s on the right to balance all that? One line! The line at #5 commands the space on the right. It has the authority and force of a lever that might just shake up the whole thing. Amazing.
All contents copyright (C) 2010 Katherine Hilden. All rights reserved.
artamaze by Katherine Hilden 
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