Exlibris Raili Vinna Ja Vello Vinna 1977

This is Oleksandr Aksinin's Exlibris Raili Vinna Ja Vello Vinna, probably made with etching. There's something about the obsessive mark-making here that really resonates. It reminds me that art is as much about the doing as it is about the seeing. Look at the way the lines build up to create texture and depth, especially around the central arching form. It's almost like a topographic map, each line a contour marking a slight elevation. The darkness around the central panel and the figures on either side gives it a mysterious and almost religious feeling. This density of line creates a kind of vibrating energy. I really like how the hats on the ground are not perfectly matching, the artist has brought a slightly different character to each. This piece reminds me of the work of Paul Klee, another artist who embraced the playful and the strange. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to make sense. Instead, it embraces ambiguity.