Untitled (seascape)

Using only a large sheet of white paper, Tom Friedman created this view of the sea by folding the horizon line and adding smaller creases to imitate the appearance of rippling water. This work exemplifies Friedman’s practice of painstakingly manipulating whatever medium he chooses, from pencil, pen, and clay to pencil shavings, hair, and Styrofoam. Friedman, who was born and raised in St. Louis, turns the centuries-old tradition of the painted seascape on its head by creating this view without any additional media, except for the paper itself.