Leaf Forms #4 c. 1954

Editor: Norman Lewis's "Leaf Forms #4," from around 1954, is an intriguing ink and pen drawing. The delicate lines almost vibrate on the page, creating these ethereal, organic shapes. How would you interpret the work's creation, given its abstract nature? Curator: What I see are lines produced with an instrument. Consider the materials used – ink and pen – and how Lewis wielded them to build up this image. Abstraction wasn't merely about rejecting representation, it was often about celebrating the physical act and materiality of art-making. Look at how the ink bleeds slightly into the paper's fibers; do you think that this was accidental? Editor: Possibly not. The controlled chaos of the ink might highlight the tension between control and chance that defines the artistic process, but how might one connect this to the world outside the studio? Curator: Exactly. Think about Lewis's position as an African American artist during the Civil Rights Movement. While this work isn't explicitly political, can we consider the implications of making art with modest materials that can easily be disseminated? What might accessibility of art, creation, and the materials have to do with democratization? Editor: So, it becomes a powerful statement about accessibility and democratizing art production itself? Viewing art through the lens of the available resources that defined his milieu and social activism deepens my understanding of it. Curator: Precisely! And examining how that choice informs his abstraction—foregrounding the *doing* of art rather than the thing itself. That's something to consider as we move through the rest of the exhibition. Editor: I'll be sure to think about that! Thank you.