Preludia IV 1959

Jirí Balcar made this print, Preludia IV, in 1954. The black and white feels immediate, as if he’s working out something as he goes. It's like a visual language being invented right before your eyes. Look at the textures Balcar coaxes from the plate. The cross-hatched lines feel like a skeleton holding the whole image together. Then there are these chunky, vertical forms that seem to drip down the composition. See that little circle up in the right corner? It’s just floating there, a little sun or moon, keeping watch. Balcar’s work reminds me of Antoni Tàpies, who also played with texture and mark-making. What these artists show us is that art isn't about perfection, but about embracing the messy, unpredictable nature of life itself.