Seventh Bucolic: Pastoral 1955

Jacques Villon made this print, Seventh Bucolic: Pastoral, using crayon and ink; it looks like he’s figuring out what it means to see goats and sheep. The marks feel provisional, like he’s trying to understand their volume and shape. The colour is translucent, you can see the grain of the paper beneath. The linear hatching creates shadows that make the animals look solid, even though they’re made of thin, stained marks. Look at the sheep in the lower right corner. Villon’s lines capture the animal's weight and curves, while the crayon gives a soft, hazy atmosphere. The print reminds me of Frantisek Kupka’s abstract paintings. Both artists were part of the same art scene in Paris and shared an interest in abstraction. Like Villon’s print, Kupka's paintings explore the relationship between form and color, inviting us to see the world in new ways. Art is about seeing, thinking, and feeling; there is no right or wrong way to respond to it.