L'Oiseau de Barbarie 1952

Jean-Michel Atlan made this drawing, L’Oiseau de Barbarie, using crayon in 1952, and I love how simple it is in its mark-making and color. It gives the image such directness. I'm really drawn to the way he lets his process show, not trying to hide the texture of the crayon. It's like he's saying, "Here's the drawing, here's how it was made." The black crayon lines are bold and confident, but the background has a softer, more textured feel. It gives the piece a kind of depth that I find really interesting. There’s one spot, near the center, where the black crayon seems to bleed slightly into the surrounding paper. I think that little detail adds a lot of character to the piece. When I look at this drawing, I'm reminded of some of the work of Cy Twombly, who also had a really spontaneous, process-oriented approach to art-making. It's like Atlan is having a conversation with Twombly across time and space. For me, Atlan's work is all about embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.