Plate I from the portfolio Vulcanalogies 1970

Here is a print called Plate I from the portfolio Vulcanalogies, by Pierre Alechinsky. I can imagine him making this, maybe in the 60’s, with lithographic crayons and thin washes of ink, really going for it. The color palette is so particular – that grubby green, electric lavender, and hot red! There's a snake-like creature with a human face, all wound up in a landscape. I think it’s about the subconscious, the place where the volcano erupts, and all our anxieties and fears come spewing out! Look at the gesture of the snake – it’s so alive, so full of energy. It reminds me of the work of the Cobra group, like Asger Jorn, who were all about spontaneity and raw expression. It's like Alechinsky is saying that painting is a form of embodied expression, a way of embracing the uncertain, and opening up possibilities for multiple meanings.