Titelvignet met gekroond schedel en apen c. 1910

This title vignette with crowned skull and apes was made by Bernard Willem Wierink, but when, we don't know, and the medium is also not specified. It’s this kind of macabre tableau, rendered in a single colour, that really gets my interest going; skulls, apes, what’s not to love! I'm curious about the process: how do you arrive at this image? How do you translate this into a print? I find myself tracing the contour of the monkey on the left and thinking about the artist figuring out the best way to render the curve of the back, the jut of the elbow. It's about distilling form, finding the essential, and committing to the mark, right? All the marks cohere into this little drama, where the skull wears a crown, flanked by two apes, all held within a frame with foliage. I can almost feel the pressure of the artist's hand as he cuts the block. I can imagine Rembrandt might have appreciated Wierink's eye, and maybe even Ensor, later on. Ultimately, art's about connection and exchange, and this piece, with all its weirdness, is part of that big, ongoing conversation.