[no title] 1995

Curator: This striking, untitled etching is by Per Kirkeby, created with stark black lines against a white ground. What's your immediate reaction? Editor: It feels raw, primal almost. The dense hatching creates a sense of unease, like peering through a thicket into something unknown. Curator: The graphic quality definitely lends itself to that interpretation. Kirkeby's work often explores the tension between abstraction and figuration. I see echoes of expressionism, particularly in its emotional intensity. Considering the artist's background in geology, the composition even mimics stratified layers. Editor: Absolutely. The vertical strokes at the top resemble ancient glyphs or perhaps even the petrified remains of trees. And down below, is that supposed to be a face? Curator: It could be interpreted that way. Perhaps a human presence emerging from or being consumed by the landscape. Kirkeby often blurred those boundaries. He was fascinated by the way the natural world shapes our perceptions. Editor: It is powerful how the lines converge to suggest a presence, even if it is indistinct. It leaves me pondering humanity's place within the grand scheme of things. Curator: Precisely, a reminder of our interconnectedness and perhaps our vulnerability within a wider ecosystem. Editor: Kirkeby challenges us to see beyond the surface, doesn’t he? Curator: Indeed, to consider the layers of meaning embedded in seemingly simple forms.