(7R)/15 (Where R=Ryoanji) 1983

John Cage made this drawing, (7R)/15 (Where R=Ryoanji) with pencil and paper. Look at how Cage lets those wispy lines just accumulate, one on top of the other. It’s a lot like how we make sense of the world, isn’t it? Layering experiences, memories, and ideas until something resonates. I love the quietness of this work, how it invites you into a space of contemplation. It’s all about the process of making, the hand moving, and the graphite leaving its trace. See how the lines are so delicate, almost like whispers? They build up to create these cloud-like forms, yet each line retains its own identity, its own path. It makes me think of Agnes Martin, another artist who found so much in so little. Like Martin, Cage shows us that art isn't about grand gestures, but about embracing the subtle beauty of the everyday. It's about finding harmony in the unplanned, and celebrating the beauty of imperfection.