Letter from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Baline, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947

Date

1947

Century

20th century

Medium & Support

Ink and colored pencil on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 7 1/2 x 5 1/4 in.

Object Type

Drawings

Credit Line

Black Mountain College Collection, gift of the Black Mountain College Project and Lorna Blaine Halper

Accession Number

2012.26.129.02

Description

Ray Johnson, "Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 4, 1947". 1947. Lines from various angles are composed of the interior of the building's drawing in the top half left. These buildings are Russian Orthodox Churches. Line drawing of an abstract face in bottom right. Various areas of writing above and below the building's drawing and to the left of the face drawing. Transcript (above buildings drawing): "monday afternoon / Dear Lorna, / I have been making drawings / of Russian Orthodox Church / steeples and am making a / small painting of them under / a lavender sky." Below church drawing, transcript: "yesterday I destroyed hundreds / of small paintings and / drawings. Threw them all / away. What I am doing at / present is most important." Above bottom right drawing, "am also drawing two large / paintings of heads:" Left of the bottom drawing, "I am very sad because I / never attain what I / really hope to obtain. / But I keep trying and / going on. I send you a / print of the beautiful / St. Mark in Venice / that I love and hope / to see some day. / LOVE RAY" Verso: all in pink color.

Keywords

mail art

mail art

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Letter from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Baline, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947

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