Hond, staand op een stoel 1884 - 1952

This print, made by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries, features a dog standing on a chair. I can imagine the artist in their studio carefully carving away at the block, thinking about how to capture the dog's alertness, its poised stance, and maybe even its personality. The choice of a simple palette focuses our attention on the shapes and forms, and the tactile qualities of the medium. Look at the texture of the paper and the way the ink sits on its surface. The dog is so still, balanced on the edge of its seat, perhaps listening intently for a sound, or waiting for someone to come home. It reminds me of other artists who’ve captured animals in their work, like Dürer’s studies of animals, where they become metaphors for human emotion. And just like that, artists across time are in constant conversation, building on each other’s work, finding new ways to see and feel and share their ideas.