[title not known] 1981

Curator: This enigmatic unbound print, part of the Tate collection, presents a meditative dialogue between text and image by the artist William Johnstone. Editor: It strikes me as remarkably minimal. The stark ink marks on paper really emphasize the physical act of creation, of the brush's dance. Curator: Indeed. Johnstone uses this sparseness to evoke potent symbolic narratives. Notice the lone, sweeping brushstroke on the left page: it suggests a sense of flight, or perhaps a descent. Editor: You are right, and on the opposite page, what I would interpret as calligraphic flourishes accompany the poem “The Bird.” I wonder what type of paper and ink Johnstone employed and how that choice contributed to its expressive quality. Curator: The imagery, coupled with the poem, creates a profound meditation on freedom and the ephemeral nature of existence. Editor: I was initially drawn to the tactile quality. Now, I'm appreciating that subtle tension between the mark and the idea.