Laarzen 1940 - 1945

Johan van Hell made this print called 'Laarzen' – 'Boots' – in 1940. It's all in shades of grey, built up with this crazy, obsessive mark-making. It’s like he’s trying to figure something out, one tiny stroke at a time. And what is it? A jumble of shoes, with these big, clunky boots standing right on top. I mean, look at the sole of that boot! It’s almost violent, the way it’s pressing down. There’s something about the texture too, the way he’s built up the tones with all these little scratches, it’s kind of unsettling. It reminds me of Piranesi, all that dark, brooding energy. I love how art can be so open-ended, you know? It doesn’t have to tell you what to think or feel. It just puts something out there, and then it’s up to you to make sense of it.