Untitled 1971

William Dole made this untitled artwork using— well, what? Ink? Paint? The colour palette is muted, delicate even. It's as though the artwork has come into being gradually, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I feel a sympathy for the artist in this print, wondering what it might have been like to create. Was he thinking about language and the way meaning can be suggested by texture, color, and surface? Look at that dark splodge in the middle—it communicates feeling so well. Dole had a long career, and you can see him trying new approaches to abstraction. Like other artists, he’s exploring new ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world. Artists are in conversation with each other, across time, inspiring creativity. Painting is embodied expression—ambiguity and uncertainty allow for multiple interpretations and meaning.