Untitled 1995

Carmel Buckley made this untitled drawing on paper with ink, pulling the medium down the page. The marks here feel very direct, almost like the tracks of something moving. The ink has a kind of pooling quality at the top of each stroke, creating a rhythm across the top of the work, like a series of dark notes on a musical stave, whilst the lower part of each stroke is finer and fainter, feeling hesitant. The paper is quite thin, and the light shines through it, making the lines seem even more delicate. You can imagine the artist carefully applying each mark, letting the ink flow, and the whole process has a meditative quality. Agnes Martin, another artist who found beauty in repetition and simplicity, springs to mind. These are drawings which embrace the beauty of the imperfect, finding something profound in the quiet accumulation of simple gestures.