"And there went out another horse that was red..." VI.4 

Curator: Bernard Reder's intaglio print, titled ""And there went out another horse that was red..." VI.4", presents a fascinating interplay of dark and light. The artist employs etching techniques to create stark contrasts within the figurative forms and fantastical landscape. Editor: My first impression is one of unease. The dense, almost claustrophobic composition combined with those rather monstrous figures gives it a distinctly unsettling feel, like glimpsing a nightmare. Curator: Precisely! The chaotic arrangement of the figures disrupts any clear narrative flow. We see bodies entangled, faces contorted, and the jagged lines of the surrounding landscape. The interplay between positive and negative space is incredibly dynamic. Note how Reder uses areas of concentrated darkness to accentuate the brighter, more defined areas, creating a dramatic push and pull. Editor: That dramatic contrast immediately highlights the potential symbolism here. Reder’s title pulls directly from the Book of Revelation and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The grotesque figures and the chaotic scene could be viewed as personifications of War, Pestilence, or perhaps general spiritual turmoil. Note the recurring motif of held weapons—the visual suggestions of violence are everywhere. Curator: Absolutely. While direct iconographic readings may be speculative, Reder's formal choices undoubtedly evoke feelings of anxiety and impending doom. The textural variation he achieves through the etching is incredible. He moves from the delicately hatched areas that create softer tones, to deeply bitten lines which generate raw, almost visceral forms. It's masterful. Editor: The distorted, almost animalistic visages really grab attention. I see traces of primitive mythologies here, perhaps deliberately tapping into deep-seated fears about chaos and brutality that humanity has always carried. Are we seeing an intentional distortion of familiar archetypes here? Curator: I believe so. By distorting and deconstructing the human form, Reder isn't simply depicting physical figures; he's exploring the fractured nature of the human psyche. There is tension, imbalance, conflict. It’s these elements, rather than precise representational accuracy, that take precedence in this striking work. Editor: The sheer rawness of the technique, in combination with those allusions to apocalyptic imagery, makes this work feel intensely personal, almost like peering into the artist’s own struggles with mortality and societal breakdown. Curator: Ultimately, Reder has presented us with a composition far less interested in traditional, linear aesthetics. Here we observe a bold artistic gesture reflecting a particular historical anxiety and demonstrating incredible printmaking skills. Editor: And through his deployment of striking contrasts and fragmented figuration, Reder forces us to confront the darker aspects of human nature and cultural anxieties.