De haan 1894 - 1959

This print of a rooster by Gordinne shows us how simple colours can be very effective. It’s like the artist approached it as a kind of dance, moving between observation and expressive mark-making. The palette is mostly brown and white, but what's interesting to me is how the artist uses these tones to create depth and texture. Look at the rooster's feathers, for instance. The artist has used hatching and cross-hatching to build up these tonal areas, giving them a real sense of volume. It reminds me of printmaking, and how those graphic marks can create such satisfying forms. Then there’s that little chick behind the rooster, almost dissolving into the background. The composition creates this really intimate, almost domestic scene, and reminds us that art is always in conversation with what has come before, and what is happening now. The way the artist makes us look at the animal world differently really appeals to me. It's not about perfection but about that moment of exchange between the artist, the image, and us.