Untitled (Abstract) 1937

This is an undated abstract drawing by Rupert D. Turnbull, made with pen on paper. The composition unfolds as a process. The marks are dense and the shapes are layered, but despite this, it still has an airy quality. It’s all hatching, which is essentially lines layered to build up tone. There’s a lovely contrast between the solid, organic shapes and the textured areas. Look at the lower part of the central form where the hatching becomes more concentrated, almost solid, giving the piece a grounded feeling. It’s like Turnbull is thinking through the act of drawing. This piece reminds me of some of the early twentieth-century surrealist drawings. There’s something very playful and intuitive about the forms and the way they interact. Ultimately, the drawing embraces a kind of beautiful ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations to it.