10 Stones 1989

John Cage made this print, titled 10 Stones, using muted watercolor washes, and simple outlined forms. Looking at it I imagine Cage working in his studio, letting the watery pigments bloom across the page, watching the way the colors interact and settle. The cloud of dilute sepia ink seems to float above a scattering of circles and rectangles, delicately rendered in primary hues. The paint is thin, almost staining the paper, which gives it a sense of lightness and transience. I'm wondering if the artist intended to capture the ephemeral qualities of sound and time? Thinking about his wider practice, it makes sense that Cage would embrace chance and indeterminacy. There's a kinship with the work of other experimental artists, like Robert Rauschenberg, who also blurred the boundaries between painting, music, and performance. It feels like an ongoing conversation, this piece. Each artist inspiring the next to explore new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.