Peppina 1919

Paul-Albert Besnard created "Peppina," with what looks like etching, and I love how this print feels both complete and like a study. Look closely, and you’ll see it’s made up of lots of little marks, all these tiny strokes. It’s kind of like the artist is feeling around for the form, building up the image bit by bit. I love how the marks around the outside are a little more tentative, a little less defined. It reminds me that artmaking is always a process of searching, of not quite knowing where you’re going until you get there. There’s a kind of intimacy in the way the lines come together to form the face, the way they capture a certain expression. It’s kind of Degas-like, in the sense of the way he explored printmaking processes, using them as a way to get closer to his subjects. There's a sense of an ongoing conversation between artists, each one building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before. And that, to me, is one of the most exciting things about art – it's always evolving, always changing, always open to new interpretations.