Drie naakte ruiters c. 1966

Editor: We are looking at "Three Nude Riders", an etching by Aat Verhoog from around 1966. The first thing that strikes me is the somewhat unsettling contrast between the playful subject matter and the dark, almost oppressive lines in the foreground. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Oppressive, eh? I feel the tremor of recognition when standing before it! The ochre sky with descending pink casts a spectral pallor. These riders – are they joyous, are they fleeing? The black lines... yes, the etching here has the stark immediacy of an open wound. Each line painstakingly rendered...Do you feel the pressure, like the etching needle itself upon the plate? I sense Verhoog felt profoundly in that precise moment when these riders broke from shadow. Editor: I do get a sense of movement now that you mention it – maybe escape, yes. The background is soft with those sunset colours, and there's the distinct dark vertical lines... are those supposed to be reeds or perhaps tree trunks? Curator: Ah, perhaps they're both? It makes me wonder if he sees some threshold these riders cross in some allegorical twilight; that the boundary, represented by these strong perpendicular markings, is no real bar after all! Verhoog is urging a glimpse into a fleeting consciousness. What might they be riding *from*? Editor: Maybe they are escaping a psychological or emotional landscape? So, it’s not just a scene, but a deeper expression of inner turmoil. Curator: Exactly! Consider how unusual it is to render the figure almost as shadow while the horses show color - this inversion asks us what we assume to be solid or substantive within ourselves. The question begs itself to be posed "Have *we* made our ride across it yet?” Editor: I never thought of it that way – as a challenge to confront inner issues. I am going to go read up a lot more on expressionist etching. Curator: Splendid, then my friend – for me that ride continues!