Untitled (#25) 1945 - 1946

Ronald Bladen made this untitled drawing on paper. Looking at this image, I imagine Bladen with a stick of graphite in his hand, bearing down on the page, searching for the form. He's building something up, rubbing it out, adding more, and allowing the composition to emerge. I see dark marks that make me think of a figure facing some strange orb in the sky. Perhaps he was thinking about scale and perspective, or experimenting with the interplay between light and shadow? I can feel him grappling with the unknown, letting his hand lead the way into new visual territory. Bladen's drawings often served as preliminary explorations for his large-scale sculptures. It’s all connected. For me, drawing is thinking. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Each gesture, each mark, is a record of that conversation.