Drawing c. 1948 - 1958

Editor: So, here we have Frederick Sommer’s “Drawing,” created sometime between 1948 and 1958, using pastel on paper. It's a swirling abstraction. To me, it feels like a strange and dreamy cosmos, or maybe something seen under a microscope. What catches your eye, what do you make of this piece? Curator: You know, it dances between realms, doesn’t it? Sommer was a master of controlled accidents, you see. He would orchestrate elements, let them breathe, and watch what grew. Like tending a bizarre garden in your subconscious. Look at that almost botanical arc, cradling fragmented, skeletal forms. Are they blooming or decaying? I see a dialogue between creation and dissolution. And the negative space, that deep black void...it isn't empty, it vibrates, right? What does it tell you? Editor: It definitely adds to the mystery, like the shapes are emerging from nothing. There's a sense of the unknown, like peering into a dark abyss and only catching glimpses. Curator: Exactly! He provokes questions rather than offering answers. This is Sommer diving deep into the primordial soup of image making itself. He asks, “What are we *really* seeing when we think we understand something?". The “drawing” isn't just pigment on paper; it's a challenge, a meditation. Don't you think? Editor: Absolutely, it feels very internal, more about feeling than seeing. It definitely has me thinking differently about abstract art. Curator: Ah, then Sommer has done his work well! It's about learning to feel with your eyes, my friend. To see the music hidden in the silence of the canvas. And sometimes, the most profound understanding comes when we simply let go and allow ourselves to drift within the current.