Vajda Lajos Perui Mumiafej 1939 1939

Vajda Lajos made this print called 'Peruvian Mummy Head' in 1939. Look at how the inky black lines scratch and swarm to conjure the mummy head, a cluster of frantic marks against the ethereal grey surface. Imagine Vajda hunched over the plate, his hand moving intuitively, trying to give form to something he's seen or imagined. It's all a bit frantic, a bit gothic, a bit funny. I wonder what Vajda was thinking about when he made this? Was he channeling some ancient spirit, or just riffing on the shapes he found in his head? It’s all a bit reminiscent of Goya's dark prints, isn't it? That same sense of unease and mystery. Ultimately, for me, this print becomes part of an ongoing conversation among artists, spanning time and place, each adding their voice to the chorus of human expression.