Renunciation 1950

Maybelle Stamper made this drawing, Renunciation, using what looks like graphite. She’s built up areas of tone, from light grey to solid black, to create a composition full of triangles, grids, and dart-like forms. I imagine her process involved lots of careful looking and subtle adjustments. What was she thinking? Was she trying to renounce these shapes? Repress them? The title implies she was trying to give something up. I love the tension between the precision of the lines and the slight imperfections in the shading. And the contrast in textures. I also like the kind of outsider quality to Stamper's work: it's like she's teaching herself to draw, but at the same time, I'm reminded of artists like Agnes Martin, who also explored the power of simple shapes and lines. All of us artists are in an ongoing conversation, influencing each other across time.