Mark & Gesture in Lee Bontecou's Art

American artist Lee Bontecou produced pieces during the 1960s using mark and gesture. Her work includes sculptures that hang on the wall like paintings made out of steel and other metals. One exemplary piece from 1960 consists of steel welded together with wire and canvas, and contains striking circular and straight patterns formed from these materials. The subject is elusive because, like many of her works, the piece is untitled and displays only shapes and patterns of unknown meaning. The arrangement of the visual elements is such that the painting-sculpture is incredibly striking, eerie, and provoking. Dark brown-hued spaces and black holes are assembled together by lines creating texture, depth, and richness. Visually stunning, this and other similar pieces by Bontecou have a very haunting air about them, suggesting both chaos and emptiness with the use of black holes and seemingly arbitrary shape placement. I found all of her pieces to be extremely interesting to view. Her 1964 piece, "Sixth Stone I" appears simple at first but evokes a lot of dark emotion as the eye is drawn toward a black hole in the center surrounded by neutral shades and more circles.