Pinokkio op het toneel 1979

Dirkje Kuik made this print, Pinokkio op het toneel, with etching. Just looking at this, I think about how printmaking is really a whole world of process all its own. The deep blacks against the bright white paper give this a sort of ghostly feel. It's pretty dark, but if you look closely at the faces, you can see how Kuik really used the etching needle to create a lot of small marks that describe the features. Look at the lower right corner, at that face almost in profile. You can see the careful marks used to create the brow and nose, but the rest of the form is pretty much lost to shadow. It's a really striking use of dark and light to show both what's there and what isn't. This print reminds me of other artists, like Paula Rego, who have used folktales as a way to explore the darker side of human nature. It makes you think about how art is all about looking closely and seeing what's really there.