Study for "Archangel" 1962

Seymour Lipton made this drawing, Study for "Archangel", in 1962 using graphite on paper. It’s a sketch, a study; a space for Lipton to figure things out. Can you see the speaker-like forms rendered in layered lines? I can almost see the artist circling the object, trying to capture its essence from different angles. The marks are bold and searching, full of energy. I imagine him thinking about how these shapes might translate into three dimensions. Maybe he’s considering the weight of the material, the play of light and shadow on its surface. It reminds me of the way we build things up and knock them down, searching for that perfect, elusive form. It makes me consider all the labor that lies beneath the surface of a finished work. All the trial and error, and the accumulation of ideas that an artwork represents. It’s this process that makes art so exciting.