Brice Marden’s #8 (2007/2012) is from a set of etchings he created with master printmaker Jennifer Melby. The prints are derived from his Letters of Gratitude drawings, works that had been made as tokens of appreciation for help received during the lead up to his 2006–07 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. While the sheets were still in development, they were photographed, translated onto copper plates using photogravure, and then elaborated on with hand-rendered aquatint additions by Marden.

Marden was inspired to create his Letter works after encountering a Chinese calligraphic rendering of “Seven-character Poem (Besotted by Flower Vapors)” (1087), a Song dynasty verse by Huang T’ing-chien (1045–1105) at National Palace Museum in Taipei. In #8, letter-like marks suggest a formal visual language, with Marden’s use of ink-dipped sticks as drawing instruments lending the design an unpredictable feel. Along with its calligraphic influence, the image also points to the artist’s interest in classical geometry.