Untitled (Cocktail Party) 1953

Saul Steinberg made this drawing of a cocktail party, sometime around 1953, using pen and watercolour. There's such a freedom to the line, a playful spontaneity, you know? It really emphasizes how artmaking is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Look closely, and you'll notice how the texture of the paper becomes part of the scene itself, and the colour mostly comes from the figures themselves, against the plain ground of the page. The lines are wiry and loose, not too precious, but the colour is carefully considered. I'm drawn to the woman in the orange dress – the way the colour is applied so flatly, almost like a paper cutout, but it gives her such a presence. This reminds me a little of Red Grooms, particularly how both artists capture social situations with humor and a kind of affectionate irony. Art's not about answers, it’s about opening up different ways of looking.