Untitled 1-17-71 [study for "tattoo" book] 1971

This untitled study by James McCracken, made in 1971, looks like it was made with pen and ink on paper. It seems like the artist was working through ideas, a process of experimentation and play that I find so compelling. I'm drawn to the repetitive, almost hypnotic, quality of the patterns. The skeletons, rendered in stark black and white, linked together in a chain-like formation. They remind me of some kind of strange, macabre dance. The red skulls in the one pattern give it a kind of punk rock feel. It makes me wonder about the artist's intention here. Is he making a comment about mortality? Or perhaps exploring the cyclical nature of life and death? This piece reminds me a little bit of the work of Mike Kelley. It’s strange, unsettling, and yet strangely beautiful at the same time. Art doesn’t need to give us easy answers. Sometimes, it’s enough to simply ask the questions.