Study for "Sorcerer" 1957

Seymour Lipton made this drawing, Study for "Sorcerer," with crayon, and you can really feel the energy of his hand in each mark. It's all about process here. I love how the crayon creates this velvety texture on the page. The lines are confident but also a bit rough around the edges, like they're searching for the form within. Look how he builds up the shadows with these dense, scribbled lines. There's a real physicality to the way the crayon bites into the paper, it's like he's wrestling with the image. It’s easy to imagine Lipton circling the paper, finding the subject as he goes. It puts me in mind of some of Gorky's more surrealist drawings. Ultimately, it’s an image that embraces the unknown, reminding us that art isn't about answers, but about asking questions.