Kat 1907

Willem van Konijnenburg made this etching, named "Kat," probably with a needle on a metal plate, whenever he felt like it. It’s all about the push and pull of the line, isn’t it? Look at the concentrated little marks clustered around the cat’s face. See how they make its gaze so intense, its fur so real? The lines feel almost frantic, but in a controlled way. Then, behind the cat, this whole other world opens up. Is it a woman? Is it a plant? It doesn't really matter, because it's more about the *idea* of a scene than the scene itself. There’s something so simple and direct in this work, reminiscent of James Ensor's etchings – that willingness to embrace the messy, the unresolved. Art's not about answers, right? It's about the questions we ask along the way.