Figures in Space #2 1949

Louis Schanker made this drawing, Figures in Space #2, with pen and ink on paper, and looking at it, it strikes me as a kind of visual jazz. The linear quality, with its frantic cross hatching and layered marks, gives the drawing a raw, immediate feel. The ink is mostly uniform in weight, creating an all-over composition that is both chaotic and strangely harmonious. There's a push and pull between representation and abstraction, where the eye tries to make sense of the fragmented forms. The overall effect is one of dynamism and energy, as though we are witnessing a world in constant flux. I'm reminded of Picasso’s cubist drawings, where forms are broken down and rearranged to create multiple perspectives. Schanker’s work seems to be in conversation with this legacy, pushing it in his own direction. It's not about answers, but about the joy of looking and the endless possibilities of mark making.