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Is-Was (Softly)

Is-Was (Softly)

Christopher Wilmarth
American, 1943–1987
1976
A quiet, meditative graphite-wash and pencil work on transparentized paper in which Wilmarth translates sculptural concerns—light, void, and memory—into a soft, diagonal veil of tone.
A luminous gray field is interrupted by a single, descending diagonal ribbon whose feathered edges, whisper-thin pencil threads, and faint vertical drips make the paper feel both translucent and materially present, like a remembered space seen through mist.
The drawing collapses drawing and sculpture—using spare, lyrical marks to make visible light, absence, and spatial depth—and exemplifies a late-20th-century turn toward meditative minimalism that emphasizes trace and memory.
Medium
Graphite wash and pencil on transparentized paper
Dimensions
29 x 22" (73.7 x 55.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Estate of Susan Wilmarth
Accession
44.2013
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
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