Fragments 1962

James McGarrell made this piece, titled 'Fragments', with what looks like graphite on paper. The tone is light, almost unfinished, which really opens up the process of artmaking itself. I love how the various figures are sketched in different orientations and levels of detail. There’s a real sense of dynamism and restless energy to the composition. Look at the way McGarrell uses hatching and cross-hatching to build up the tones, especially in the central figure. The marks are really immediate and tactile, giving the drawing a strong physical presence. I can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the page, building up the image bit by bit. It's this kind of mark-making that reminds me of Willem de Kooning’s drawings, where the process of creation is just as important as the final image. 'Fragments' really highlights how art is always an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between different artists and different ways of seeing. It’s this ambiguity and openness that makes art so endlessly fascinating and rewarding.