Pinokkio op het ziekbed 1979

Dirkje Kuik made this etching, Pinokkio op het ziekbed, but when is a mystery. It shows Pinocchio in a glass coffin surrounded by mourners; the mood is dark and somber, rendered in shades of gray. I imagine Kuik carefully applying the acid to the metal plate, line by line, to create this vision. The cross-hatching on the glass coffin is incredible. Etching is a whole different ball game than painting - more technical, but also more about control. There’s something about the starkness of the medium that is really working here, it reflects the bluntness of the scene. You could say it is the opposite of painting, and yet here we are: a print of a painting. This piece reminds me of other artists working with folk tales and surreal subject matter; the dream-like narratives recall the imagery of Paula Rego and Leonora Carrington. It’s like artists are always having this amazing conversation across time, riffing off each other’s ideas! Ultimately, making art is about being brave enough to show the world how you see it, even if it's a little strange, a little dark.