Drawing 1948

Frederick Sommer made this drawing on a sheet of paper, and it looks like he used ink or watercolor to create these luminous forms against a dark ground. You know, when I look at this, I imagine a dance of liquid on paper. The artist probably coaxed these shapes into being, tilting the surface, letting the pigments bleed and mingle. It’s all soft edges and ghostly hues, like he's trying to catch a glimpse of something just out of reach. I can almost feel the push and pull between control and chance. I find myself wondering what Sommer was thinking about as he made this. Was he trying to map some inner landscape, or capture the fleeting essence of a dream? I love how the light seems to come from within the forms themselves. He might have been looking at Klee or Miró, or maybe even earlier Chinese painting. Artists are always in conversation, riffing off each other’s ideas across time. It makes you wonder what future artist will look at Sommer's drawing and find something new to say.