Etiuda na schody i temple blocks 2019

Lech Jankowski made this small drawing, Etiuda na schody i temple blocks, perhaps in his studio or at home, using graphite on paper. The whole scene shimmers in grays, built up by a layering of tiny marks. I can almost feel the artist pressing the pencil to the page, again and again, coaxing this strange scene into being. I can imagine the artist thinking deeply about the musical still life, maybe turning the head or shifting the blocks, then making an image, then re-arranging, and then making another image. What does it mean to draw a musical instrument, to represent it and not play it? Are the shapes of the steps echoed in the temple blocks? The repetitive marks in the background remind me of Agnes Martin, and how she made fields of meaning with simple materials. Thinking about other artists making pictures helps me unlock this artwork. It’s all a big conversation!