Untitled 1974

Robert Grosvenor made this untitled work with graphite, colored pencil, and wood. It may seem simple, just a line on paper, but consider how those materials speak to the broader world. We often think of drawing as a preliminary activity – sketches done in preparation for a painting or sculpture. Here, however, the drawing is the thing itself. The qualities of the graphite and colored pencil - their capacity to create subtle tonal shifts, delicate lines, and shadow - are all we have. The added wood element is critical, offering a tactile interruption that changes everything. The work asks us to consider the relationship between industrial production, the natural world, and artistic intervention. It encourages us to break down traditional hierarchies, and see the art not just in the concept, but in the making.