Untitled (Hélion 29) 1929

Jean Helion created this drawing in 1929 with ink on paper, and just look at the boldness of those strokes! I can almost feel the artist's hand moving confidently across the page, laying down these hefty marks with purpose. The ink is so dark and dense, it has a real graphic quality that pops against the pale paper. I'm imagining him, maybe in Paris, trying to find the balance between abstraction and representation. The shapes feel like they're trying to become something, maybe architectural, maybe figurative, but never quite getting there. But is that the point? Is this painting a kind of visual thinking, where the artist is wrestling with forms and ideas right there on the surface? There is a sense of improvisation to the work. It reminds me of other artists who use simple materials to explore complex ideas. Painters, we're all in conversation with each other, right? Echoing ideas, pushing them further, finding our own voices. And in a way, this drawing is an invitation to join that conversation, to bring our own interpretations and experiences to the table.