Faust 1984

Oleksandr Aksinin made this print, called Faust, sometime before 1985, using etching—a graphic process with acid that feels old school, like alchemy! The figures are emerging out of this dark background, two hugging, and somehow joined as one. They are dissolving at the base, into rock-like forms, like a strange, broken column. What was Aksinin thinking when he made this? Was he sympathizing with Faust? It’s an intense, romantic image—two people in a tight embrace, but it has an eerie tone. The sharp lines create a somber mood. The figures become abstracted, almost otherworldly. I am reminded of other artists who explore the darker sides of human existence, like Goya or Ensor. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time. We look, absorb, and transform. Like Aksinin, we embrace uncertainty, making space for multiple meanings.