Barkcloth panel c. 1930

This barkcloth panel, made by the Mbuti people, invites us into a world of raw texture and delicate markings. I can imagine the artist, maybe sitting on the earth, beating and preparing the bark, feeling its resistance and pliability in their hands. The marks are so simple - lines, dots, dashes. They seem almost like whispers across the surface. I think of Agnes Martin and her quiet grids, or Cy Twombly’s scribbles, but here, there's something even more elemental. The artist is using the earth itself as their canvas, so the brown of the bark becomes a ground that’s both solid and alive. Look at those dots! They are so rhythmic. They vibrate with an energy that feels both ancient and utterly present. It’s a reminder that artists are always in conversation, reaching across time and space to share something essential about what it means to be human. And that is to be creative! It’s about mark-making, and how it connects us.