Sea Bird Saga IV 1966

Wallace Bradstreet Putnam made "Sea Bird Saga IV" with what looks like charcoal or maybe crayon, and it feels like we’re watching a memory being sketched out. The texture is key here; it’s all about the grain of the paper fighting with the dark smudges of the medium. See how the birds are just these quick, almost scribbled marks along the horizon? They're more about a feeling than precise representation, right? And that stormy sky—it’s like Putnam just attacked the paper with the side of the crayon. It reminds me of Cy Twombly, in that it captures a sense of place and emotion through pure, unadulterated mark-making. It’s a reminder that art doesn't have to be about perfection; it can be about the raw, messy process of trying to capture a moment. It leaves plenty of room for our own interpretations and feelings.