Two Composition Studies c. 1940s

These Two Composition Studies were made by Ralston Crawford in May 1954, probably with ink on paper. Look at the way he's using a simple hatching technique, those closely spaced parallel lines, to create tone and depth. It's almost like he's mapping out different zones of light and shadow. It's so methodical, so architectural, but also really intuitive. The whole thing feels like a blueprint or a diagram, but for what? Crawford's playing with these geometric shapes. They overlap and intersect, creating a sense of depth and ambiguity. There is a solid block in the middle ground in each composition, but in the second composition he fills the shapes with hatching, which has the effect of making it recede. This piece reminds me a little of the early structuralist drawings of Sol LeWitt, who was also obsessed with systems and permutations, but Crawford brings a kind of raw, handmade quality to it all. Ultimately, these studies are a testament to the power of drawing. It is a way of thinking through seeing, and finding new ways to see through thinking.