Naakten (frontaal en op de rug) c. 1965 - 1980

This is Aat Verhoog’s “Naakten (frontaal en op de rug)”, an etching on paper in the Rijksmuseum collection. The lines feel so raw, almost like scars on the paper, don’t they? The artist really let the process show. It's like you can see the decisions being made, unmade, and remade right before your eyes. The figures are haunting, caught between definition and erasure, and the use of line feels restless. The hatching that defines the figures also flattens them against the picture plane. There's one part, on the figure to the left, where the lines seem to break down, almost dissolving the form. It's like the artist is saying, "Here, look closely, but don't expect to find all the answers." I'm reminded of Philip Guston’s late work, that same kind of searching, that willingness to let the messiness of being human seep into the work. It’s the beauty of art, isn’t it? Never quite giving you what you expect, but always giving you something to feel.