Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection Audio Exhibition
Nick Blinko (British, born 1961), Untitled, 1985, pen and black ink on paper, 16 9/16 x 16 9/16 in. (42.1 x 42.1 cm), Collection of Richard Rosenthal, image courtesy of the Henry Boxer Gallery
Verbal Description
Hello, my name is John Hedges, and I am a gallery attendant for the museum. I will be reading the verbal description for Untitled by Nick Blinko in Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection.
This pen and ink drawing on paper is untitled and dates from 1985. It was created by the British artist Nick Blinko, who was born in 1961. It is in the collection of Richard Rosenthal.
Nick Blinko’s untitled work is a square pen and black ink drawing measuring 16 and nine-sixteenths by 16 by nine-sixteenths or 42.1 by 42.1 centimeters. This intricate work starts in the center of the drawing and works its way to the edges covering every inch of the paper. The central portion, shaped like a “U,” contains dozens of tiny, detailed, and closely entwined depictions of human figures, spider webs, skeletons, skulls, and fantastical creatures. Outside this central “U” shape, the artist fills the page with crisscrossed lines that appear like grass or dense vegetation. In a triangular area in the upper left corner of the image, the artist has used small stitch-like marks and dots to form a wavy pattern that merges from black to gray and becomes lighter and less dense as we move to the right. This creates a cloudy night sky effect.
Label Text
Hello, my name is John Hedges, and I am a gallery attendant for the museum. I will be reading the label for Untitled by Nick Blinko in Creating Connections: Self-Taught Artists in the Rosenthal Collection.
Untitled from 1985 is a pen and ink drawing on paper. It was created by the British artist Nick Blinko, who was born in 1961. It is in the collection of Richard Rosenthal.
Nick Blinko is best known in England as the lead singer, lyricist, and guitar player for the punk band Rudimentary Peni. His drawings grace the band’s album covers and posters, adding a layer of visual chaos to their music. Art making is central to Blinko’s life, yet to work on his drawings, he risks his psychological health. Because the drug he takes for his Schizoaffective disorder inhibits his creativity, he stops taking his prescribed medication when he draws.
Blinko has drawn intricate compositions since childhood and often works for sixteen hours at a time. Each piece starts with a central figure around which he gradually adds other large forms until the space between is full. In the end, a crowded web of interconnected figures, faces, and symbols cover the page.