Cattle Brand c. 1936

This is J. Henry Marley’s ‘Cattle Brand’, made with ink on paper. The black ink is really solid, like he didn't mess around. The mark-making in this piece, it's so direct. The way the thick, black lines confidently declare this symbol. It’s like a logo, but before logos were slick. I love how the line quality varies slightly, giving it a handmade feel; you can almost imagine the hand that drew it. It reminds me a little of Alfred Jensen's paintings, where a symbol is a whole language. Look at the little curl on the left side, it's almost like a signature, like it's saying something. Maybe art doesn't have to be complicated to be powerful, huh?