Untitled 1-25-71 [study for "tattoo" book] 1971

James McCracken Jr. made this study for a "tattoo" book on January 25th, 1971, using ink on paper. Look at these screaming heads – some of them like melting lightbulbs – with gnashing teeth! You can see how quickly McCracken Jr. worked, letting the pen glide to define the bold outlines. It must have been a gas to make these ghastly figures. I can imagine the artist having a lot of fun making them, as if they were a comic book character. It's cool to think McCracken was inspired by Munch and his painting, "The Scream." You can see this scrawled at the top of the sheet. The contrast between the black ink and the blank paper is stark, like a message beamed from another planet. All painters are in conversation, and perhaps McCracken Jr. wanted to join in with Edvard Munch, adding a new twist in the history of art. Painting is so bodily. It's a really physical thing, like shouting into the void.