Don't Bungle the Jungle 1989

Brice Marden made this drawing, “Don’t Bungle the Jungle”, with ink on paper, so you know it’s kinda loose, like a doodle but one with real intentions, for sure. It’s all about the lines, a whole lotta looping and tangling going on. I see him feeling his way through the space, figuring things out as he goes, one mark at a time. The ink isn’t precious, it drips and spatters, letting the paper do its thing. See how the black lines are sometimes broken up by bits of blue or gray? It's like a sneaky peek-a-boo of color. For me, it’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be neat and tidy. Think of Cy Twombly's scribbles, but Marden’s putting his own spin on it, maybe a little more restrained, but still wild. It's an ongoing chat between artists, bouncing ideas off each other, and making something new, you know?