Mujer 1973

Hector Saunier made this etching, named "Mujer," sometime around 1973. I love the mark-making here, it has an energetic, rhythmic quality, like waves or wind, with a mesmerizing effect. I wonder if Saunier was trying to capture not just what he saw, but what it felt like to be in the presence of his subject. Etching is such a patient medium—the artist scratches into a metal plate, then applies acid, and the image slowly emerges. I try to imagine Saunier in his studio, carefully drawing each line, responding to the emerging form, almost like a dance. The contrast between the sharp, precise lines and the soft, flowing shapes creates a tension that I find really compelling. It reminds me of some of Picasso's graphic work, both of them using a very reduced palette to explore a wide range of form. You see these lines repeating and echoing throughout the composition, it gives the image a kind of internal life, as if the subject is breathing. It’s this sense of movement and vitality that makes the work so engaging for me. Art is all about exchange, right?