Schepping van Eva en verdrijving uit het paradijs 1963

Aat Verhoog made this print, *Schepping van Eva en verdrijving uit het paradijs*, with etching. The figures are drawn from loose, dark lines. Look at the texture in the bottom left corner – it reminds me of the kind of marbling you get when cleaning up paint. There is a real sense of process in this work. The creation of Eve seems to emerge from a network of lines like a figure in a dream. The use of line is very expressive; it feels as though Verhoog is working towards a likeness while simultaneously allowing the medium to lead him. The composition is clever. The banishment from paradise becomes a visual counterpart to the creation of Eve; a kind of before and after. Verhoog’s process reminds me of work by Ernst Barlach. Like Barlach, Verhoog is interested in the way art can hint at stories without ever becoming too literal. Art is a constant conversation. What do you think Verhoog is saying?