Ontwerp voor een boekillustratie 1913 - 1970

This is a book illustration design by Hans Borrebach, and at first glance, it looks like a heavy, dark rectangle. But, peer a little closer, and you might see the ghost of an image in there, a faint trace of figuration just lurking beneath the surface. I wonder what story it was supposed to illustrate? The image is teeming with the potential for narrative, all wrapped up in this mysterious, inky block. It reminds me that painting, in all its forms, is essentially a conversation between the seen and the unseen. Borrebach might be playing with erasure, veiling, or maybe just embracing the unpredictable nature of materials. And in doing so, it invites us to bring our own stories to the table, to fill in the gaps, and to co-create meaning. It shows how art is constantly in dialogue with what came before, each artist responding, reacting, and adding to the ongoing conversation.