Twentieth Century Ikon Series 8.8.67 IV 1967

Bob Law made this drawing called Twentieth Century Ikon Series 8.8.67 IV in 1967. It’s mostly just empty space, divided by thin lines. Looking at it, I imagine Bob Law meditating on simplicity. What’s the least he could do? And what would that mean? The surface is so quiet, almost like a whisper. I wonder if he started with the lines or the space? Did he feel like he was emptying or filling? It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin’s grids, but even more reduced. There’s a kind of bravery in taking away so much. It’s like he’s asking us to slow down, to really look and maybe find something in nothing. These artists, they’re all talking to each other across time, you know? Bob Law has definitely made me think about the power of restraint and the endless possibilities within the simplest of forms.