a 1962 Ryman "grey drawing" at Sothebys (who flashed out their catalog to prevent image theft) makes the arguement for me, that it is not white on white that maks him interesting, and not even his ravenous all consuming appetite for material intervention, but his formal qualities--i think the most interesting work then, is when a creamy impasto collapases onto a smooth sheen, or the greyish linen supports a thin wash, or even how the grain of wood peeks out from the big wall sized peices.

for the longest time, i thot i liked ryman because he sold the paratext instead of the text, the supporters, or the frames, or the interventions into the history of painting, but know i wonder if i like him because hes a sexy little minx, whose formalism is less interesting then the after effects....