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Home>Yes No Maybe Introduction>Yes No Maybe Cage Introduction>Yes No Maybe Cage Seven Day Diary

# 

Exhibition Introduction

Note to the ReaderAcknowledgments

IntroductionKeithJohnLeslieSelf-Portrait

IntroductionTouched RedGreenCombinationHigh Green Version 1

Introduction17 Drawings by ThoreauSeven Day Diary (Not Knowing)Changes and DisappearancesWhere R=RyoanjiFireThe Missing Stone 75 StonesEninkaStonesWhere There is Where There

IntroductionAnne ApplebyPia FriesDarren AlmondSusan MiddletonJoel FisherBrad BrownTom Marioni

IntroductionMamma AnderssonSol LeWittFred WilsonRobert BechtleKiki Smith

IntroductionJulie MehretuWayne ThiebaudJockum NordströmTomma AbtsNathan OliveiraChris Ofili

IntroductionPat SteirLaura OwensWayne ThiebaudAmy Sillman

# John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
Title page, *Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
Introductory text by John Cage, *Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
Detail, Introductory Essay by John Cage, *Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day One*etching and drypointplate: 1 1⁄4 × 2 3⁄4 (3.2 × 7)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day Two*etching, drypoint, and softground etchingplate: 1 3⁄16 × 4 1⁄8 (3 × 10.5)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day Three*etching, drypoint, softground etching, and sugarliftaquatintplate: 7 1⁄16 × 2 1⁄4 (17.9 × 5.7)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day Four*etching, drypoint, softground etching, sugarlift aquatint,and photo-etchingplate: 10 1⁄16 × 3⁄4 (25.6 × 1.9)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996 © John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day Five*etching, drypoint, softground etching, sugarlift aquatint,photo-etching, and found objectsplate: 1 1⁄2 × 6 5⁄8 (3.8 × 16.8)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day Six*etching, drypoint, softground etching, sugarlift aquatint,photo-etching, found objects, and color etchingplate: 7 3⁄16 × 5 3⁄4 (18.3 × 14.6)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

John Cage, Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing), 1978
*Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*1978portfolio of seven prints with title page and frontispieceeach sheet: 12 × 17 (30.5 × 43.2)*Day Seven*etching, drypoint, sugarlift aquatint, photo-etching, foundobjects, and color etchingplate: 5 × 3 (12.7 × 7.6)National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown,1996© John Cage Trust

For his****initial, week-long visit to Crown Point Press, Cage conceived a program to learn a new printmaking technique each day. He performed chance operations daily to select a new technique to add to his repertoire; the schedule is listed on the diary’s title page (see detail, below). Insecure about his drawing skills, Cage decided to work blind. Making marks — the quantity determined by chance — with his eyes closed, he effectively translated drawing from an aesthetic endeavor into a numeric formula.

Detail, John Cage, Title page, *Seven Day Diary (Not Knowing)*, 1978, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Kathan Brown, 1996, © John Cage Trust

Banner image: Detail, John Cage, *Eninka* 29, 1986, burned, smoked, and branded gampi mounted to paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Crown Point Press, 1996, © John Cage Trust

Next: John Cage, *Changes and Disappearances*, 1979–1982

"Yes, No, Maybe: The Art of Making Decisions," lecture by exhibition curators Judith Brodie and Adam Greenhalgh (audio)Julie Mehretu, artist, in conversation with curator Judith Brodie, Diamonstein-Spielvogel lecture (audio)"An Insider's Perspective," lecture by Kathan Brown, founder of Crown Point Press (audio)

Exhibition tour by curators Judith Brodie and Adam Greenhalgh (audio)

John Cage in the collection of the National Gallery of Art

Crown Point Press prints in the collection of the National Gallery of Art

Press release

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