Letchworth II 1961

Richard Claude Ziemann made "Letchworth II" using dense clusters of sweeping black marks on a blank page. I feel a real sympathy for the artist, imagining the open space of the field and the air on their face. This seems like Ziemann is really in touch with the simple pleasures of being present and awake. Look at the way each stroke seems to have its own story to tell; some are thick with purpose, others fade into delicate whispers. They almost look like branches or blades of grass moving in the wind. These linear gestures remind me of Twombly's scribbles or maybe Brice Marden's meandering lines, yet there’s an unmistakable quality that sets Ziemann’s work apart. It reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation where each artist speaks with their own unique voice. I think of painting as a kind of poetry, where feelings and ideas are transformed into images with an open-ended quality.