Art History Number One 1990

Robert Keyser made this etching, Art History Number One, using line and color to evoke an exchange with the past. The black lines feel almost automatic, like notations from a dream. I see a stage, maybe, with figures enacting some strange, private ritual. There’s a lightness to the marks, a sense of improvisation, as though he's figuring it out as he goes along. I wonder what he was thinking about? A memory, maybe? A half-remembered story? The reds and yellows feel like echoes of the past, of ancient frescoes or faded tapestries. The etched lines create a sense of depth and texture, while the colors add a layer of emotional resonance. It reminds me that every artist is in conversation with those who came before, taking what they need, and transforming it into something new. The piece feels open, unresolved, like a question mark hanging in the air. And that's what I love about painting – its ability to hold multiple meanings, to resist easy answers, and to keep the conversation going.