Mbuti Barkcloth Panel, Democratic Republic of Congo

Dashes, hatching, small circles, and across the middle a row of blocky marks that look like letters but are not.

The Mbuti of the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo, pounded the inner bark of forest trees into a supple sheet, which women then painted freehand, often with dark pigments made from plants and charcoal. This panel, from the 20th century, is cream-colored and nearly two and a half feet tall. Energetic black strokes form crossed lines and hatched leaf-like shapes.

The drawing is smudged and spontaneous, the cloth creased, with an uneven upper edge. Nobody planned it. That is the draw.