Untitled 1961

This is an untitled print made by Emerson Woelffer, and the stark black and white contrast is really arresting. It’s built up through layers, and I’m imagining the artist coaxing the image into being, wiping away and adding to it, pushing and pulling. I can really sympathize with Woelffer. There's a rectangle inside a circle, and a dark shape in the rectangle - what was he thinking? Was he trying to find his way, experimenting until something clicked? It's interesting how the texture of the black ink creates a contrast with the smooth, almost floating quality of the white circle. The black feels almost tactile, grounded, while the circle is more ethereal and free. That dark shape, like a void in the center, could be about anything. Painters are always in conversation, you know? Woelffer was looking at the world around him, and also at what other artists were doing, responding, and adding his own voice to the mix. It's like we're all part of this big, ongoing, messy conversation, inspiring each other across time. And ambiguity is not a weakness, but an invitation.