Untitled (Abstract) 1937

Curator: Alright, let's talk about this intriguing piece by John Opper, dating back to 1937. It's an untitled abstract drawing, primarily rendered in pencil and graphite, showcasing some interesting experimentation with form. What strikes you about it? Editor: Immediately? The textures. All the different cross-hatching and the deliberate roughness. It’s like he's building something block by block. But the question I have, what purpose is he using these humble materials in such a raw way? Curator: Well, Opper was quite involved with abstract expressionism; this feels like him searching for something. This piece stands at an interesting nexus where line and form collide. It’s less about depicting anything recognizable and more about exploring the possibilities of the medium. The density and pressure used to apply the graphite build an evocative energy. Editor: Right, I see that exploration of form, it also feels… constrained by the paper. It looks as if he had a series of discrete shapes, a kind of pattern almost, that were made with intense handcraft that the commercial art world sort of undervalues, like knitting maybe. How do you feel that links into his abstract expressionism? Curator: It does give the sensation of contained chaos! Maybe this particular drawing served as a blueprint or stepping stone towards something larger, grander… Editor: Or maybe the grandeur, is how Opper makes us recognize this art-making *work*. Curator: Fair point! It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Is it finished? Is it a study? A statement on labor perhaps? Or purely a whimsical dance of the hand and mind across the page. The mystery of art can be frustrating! Editor: It's definitely making a claim. But what exactly that claim *is* isn’t evident—the materials and method *are*. Maybe that is his pursuit! Curator: And I think that’s why this abstract little thing is so powerful, yes? It’s not about easy answers or pretty pictures, it’s a doorway. Thank you for bringing such material, textured lenses. Editor: And thank you! Always good to look closely.