Study for "Wind from the Sea" (recto) c. 1947

This is a study in pencil on paper by Andrew Wyeth. It is thought to be a study for "Wind from the Sea." Wyeth, like so many artists, embraces the study as a form, a way of working through his ideas. The pencil marks here are tentative, searching. You can see how he's feeling his way around the subject. The black square contrasts with the muted lines below, setting up a tension between the abstract and the representational. The texture of the paper is palpable; you can almost feel the tooth of it under the pencil. The smudges and erasures only add to the sense of process, of the artist grappling with his vision. That square feels like a window and a void. It reminds me of other artists like Agnes Martin who explored similar themes of emptiness and possibility. Art isn't about answers; it's about questions.