Study for "The X" 1978

This is Ronald Bladen's, "Study for 'The X'", and I'm already thinking about what it's like to make something like this – the decisions, the geometry, and how they lead to this clean, yet monumental form. It's a drawing, so it's immediate. But the end is sculpture, right? I like the idea that this X isn't just flat. It's got volume, edges, and a perspective that pulls you in. I imagine Bladen, maybe wrestling with the idea of space. Each line feels considered, and the way they come together to suggest a three-dimensional form on a flat page is kind of like a magic trick. You know, looking at this, I see echoes of Barnett Newman's zips, or even some of the constructivists. Artists are always building on what came before, and it's cool to see how Bladen takes these influences and makes something so uniquely his own.