Paarden en ruiters 1966

Aat Verhoog made this etching, "Paarden en ruiters," sometime in the twentieth century. Look at how the lines almost vibrate, creating these figures out of pure process. It’s all about the act of mark-making. The physicality of the medium really sings here. The lines are wiry and raw, and that verticality, like rain, gives the whole scene a kind of ghostly presence. See that figure on the right with their arms outstretched? There’s a vulnerability in that gesture, as if reaching out for something, or maybe trying to keep their balance in this torrent of lines. It’s like the whole scene is in a state of becoming, never quite fixed or resolved. You know, this reminds me a bit of some of James Ensor’s etchings with that same kind of nervous energy and preoccupation with figures emerging from the shadows. Art is always talking to itself, across time. It doesn’t offer any easy answers, just a space to keep questioning.