Ruiter en meisje op bank c. 1965 - 1980

Aat Verhoog made this etching of a rider and a girl on a bench at an unknown date, using black ink. It's all about the line here, a kind of frantic energy. Verhoog is really going for it, and not worrying about mistakes. That is what gives this piece its charm. The whole thing is built up from these marks, it's like he's thinking out loud. There's a cloud formation in the top centre of the work, those scribbles feel a bit like Twombly, but there is a graphic quality to the marks too, like the cross hatching of an engraving. I like the way the lines vary in thickness, creating these patterns that almost camouflage the figures and the landscape. It all adds up to a kind of dreamy, surreal atmosphere that reminds me a little of Redon, but with a rougher, more spontaneous feel. The looseness invites you to interpret the scene in many different ways, and I think that's what makes it so compelling.