Linolog II 1972

Pierre Alechinsky’s ‘Linolog II’ is a print that wriggles with narrative possibility. Imagine him, poised with his tools, carving into the linoleum, thinking through these inky glyphs and curious figures. The image is bordered by what looks like script, but dissolves into pure gesture, a kind of visual language perhaps. It’s like when you’re on the phone doodling, and the lines start taking on a life of their own. Inside this border is a green cartoonish scene with a snake charmer and a four-eyed face. In the face we see a block of text—that’s a very painterly thing to do, to play with collage, language, and image all at once. It makes me think about the way forms transform into other forms, that artists are constantly in dialogue with one another, across time, across space. We are always building on each other’s work, remixing, responding, keeping the conversation going. And ultimately, it’s about embracing those messy, unresolved feelings that make art so alive.