Moss tt 2019

Lech Jankowski made this drawing, titled 'Moss tt', using graphite on paper. The artist has employed simple materials, paper and pencil, but note the intense labor involved in applying the graphite, especially in the lower section, which is built up with thousands of tiny marks. This repetitive gesture resembles the labor that it depicts. Observe the row of rudimentary birds. The minimal, almost childlike depiction of the birds contrasts with the heavily worked ground. The intensive mark-making transforms the paper’s surface into a kind of field or landscape. Is Jankowski suggesting a parallel between agricultural work and the act of drawing itself? What is a drawing if not a kind of cultivation, in which the artist patiently coaxes an image into being? Understanding the work requires us to think about the labor involved, and how the artist has transformed simple materials into a profound meditation on creativity and effort. It’s a reminder that art is not just about the final image, but about the journey of its making.